Game 4 felt like a must-win game for the Timberwolves, as they were trying to avoid going down 3-1 in the series to the Thunder.
The game had a lot of back and fourth runs from both teams, with the Timberwolves bench keeping Minnesota afloat with some stars struggling.
Ultimately, the poor performances from Randle and Edwards made it too difficult to overcome a Thunder team that was ready to pounce after Saturday’s blowout loss.
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Minnesota doesn’t get enough from starters in loss to Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a playoff career-high 40 points Monday, leading the way to a Thunder victory.
Jalen Williams also got the job done, dropping an efficient 34 points.
Two of Minnesota’s most reliable and depended on scorers, Randle and Edwards, both underperformed today which was a large reason for the Game 4 loss.
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Edwards didn’t shoot inefficiently but only made five shots on a surprising 15 FGA.
Randle shot just 1-7 and had as many turnovers as points in Game 4 (5).
Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed an important 23 points, 6 assists and 2 steals, and was a +6 when on the court in 29 minutes.
He hit some timely shots to give Minnesota a chance down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough in the end.
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Donte DiVincenzo poured in 21 points of his own, dished out 5 assists and also shot 5/8 from downtown.
Minnesota faces a very difficult 3-1 hole, having to win a road game in Game 5 with an OKC crowd that is certain to show up and be loud, as their team has a chance to advance to its first NBA Finals in over a decade.
Action in the WCF resumes Wednesday in OKC for an elimination Game 5 for the Timberwolves.
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