The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a crucial win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the number one seed in the Western Conference, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge with 33 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. This gritty victory on the road against a strong defensive team has significant playoff implications, giving OKC a 2-1 lead in the season series and placing them just one game behind Minnesota for the top seed. The Thunder now ranks second in the league in net rating against top 10 point differential teams, tied with Boston for the best winning percentage in such matchups. OKC's record against the Nuggets and Timberwolves stands at 4-2. After the game, Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards expressed frustration with the officiating, suggesting a bias towards Gilgeous-Alexander.
Anthony Edwards said NBA refs have a new favorite in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after last night 😮 (via @SneakerReporter) https://t.co/hm1XQT9xK4
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards criticizes officiating of Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander https://t.co/ZJyRtnjbxz
As I do each Sunday, teams that are top 10 in both schedule-adjusted offense and defense: Celtics (1st, 3rd) Thunder (4th, 6th) Sixers (7th, 5th) Knicks (10th, 7th)
"MVP. MVP." Shai scored 11 of his 33 in the 4th quarter of the Thunder's comeback win vs the Wolves. #ThunderUp https://t.co/uTANMruDcc
Anthony Edwards Gripes About Calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Gets https://t.co/hWPvdLxYcx
Anthony Edwards on the loss to the Thunder: “It’s hard to contain them with the calls that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets… You can’t touch him any time of the game. It’s super hard to beat. That team is a good team, especially when they’re getting calls like that.” (via… https://t.co/d3wpPWUvEP
Anthony Edwards suggests referee favoritism towards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #AnthonyEdwards #ShaiGilgeousAlexander https://t.co/mYMeLuVDtu
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander guides Thunder to thrilling win over Timberwolves #MinnesotaTimberwolves #OklahomaCityThunder #ShaiGilgeousAlexander https://t.co/yRfM0L0fW5
Updated West Standings ‼️ SGA's clutch performance puts OKC 1 game behind MIN for the top seed! For more, download the NBA App: 📲https://t.co/oRfhdB8ZfO https://t.co/Z1dqaCi1wi
OKC is 4-2 vs. the Nuggets and Thunder. We have a half season to go but there's a very real chance they're the 1-seed.
OKC clinches at least a split of tiebreaker over Wolves. Massive win for playoff implications. They lead 2-1 with one more to go.
OKC now ranks 2nd in the league in net rating against top 10 point differential teams, and is tied for the best winning percentage in such games with Boston, per @cleantheglass
SGA came through in the CLUTCH to give OKC the win over the top seed in the West ⛈️ 33 PTS 6 AST 2 STL https://t.co/4xahv2NZ03
What a great fucking win by OKC. Being able to win ugly on the road against the number one seed in the West after this long road trip is just insanely impressive.
The Thunder take down the Timberwolves in the battle of the West's top two seeds 👀 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tonight ⚡️ 33 PTS | 10-22 | 6 AST https://t.co/nfSCfMdknO
Incredible win for the Thunder in Minnesota. Got down, totally suffocated by the Wolves D, but never let go of the rope. Big time tone-setter for the second half of the season.