Timberwolves breathe easy and sweep Thunder in the West

A glimmer of hope shines in Minneapolis as the Minnesota Timberwolves dominated Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, crushing the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 at the Target Center.

With this victory, the Timberwolves closed the gap, cutting the Thunder's series lead to 2-1.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to victory with 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Julius Randle chipped in 24 points, while Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Leonard Miller all scored in double digits.

"Being down 2-0, it's all about bringing energy and we brought high energy," Edwards said. "I know everyone is happy about this one but we know OKC is going to come out and bring hella-energy and they are going to be ready to go and going to try to win game four and we've got to try and exceed their energy and get a win. We'll be ready."

But the Timberwolves didn’t just shine offensively—they also excelled on defense, limiting the Thunder’s tactical efforts. The only player to break through was Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 14 points.

The NBA regular-season MVP had his worst scoring performance of the year. "We were just more aggressive in all facets and our competitiveness was at its peak," Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said about his team's defensive performance.

Game 4 will be played Monday at Target Center. Before that, on Sunday, the New York Knicks will try to narrow the gap against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. with Indiana leading the series 2-0.