NBA: Thunder edge Timberwolves in West showdown

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) goes up to shoot as Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

MINNEAPOLIS — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-97 on Saturday night in a matchup of the top teams in the Western Conference standings.

Jaylin Williams added 20 points for Oklahoma City, and Minnesota native Chet Holmgren had 15. The Thunder trailed by 11 early in the fourth before rallying to win for the second time in four games to pull within a game of Minnesota.

SGA came through in the CLUTCH to give OKC the win over the top seed in the West ⛈️

33 PTS
6 AST
2 STL pic.twitter.com/4xahv2NZ03

— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2024

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns each had 19 points for Minnesota and Naz Reid added 18. The Timberwolves had won four in a row to regain the West’s No. 1 spot after losing four of six to drop behind Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City used a 19-7 run to tie it at 90 with 3:42 remaining. Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 3-pointer with 1:14 left to give the Thunder a 96-94 lead. Rudy Gobert hit one of two free throws to pull Minnesota within one, but Mike Conley’s 3 with 23.4 seconds remaining was off the mark and Williams made two free throws.

Reid scored on the other end, but Isaiah Joe hit two free throws to regain the three-point advantage. Edwards was fouled on a 3 with 3.4 seconds remaining, but missed two of the three free throws.

Oklahoma City has won two of the three meetings this season between the two young teams, with Saturday marking the first road win between the two this season. The final matchup of the regular season is at Oklahoma City on Jan. 29.

A season-long obstacle for the Wolves has been turnovers and that issue allowed the Thunder to stay close before the finishing flurry. Minnesota had 21 turnovers, leading to 28 points.

NEXT SCHEDULE

Thunder: Host Portland on Tuesday night.

Timberwolves: Host Charlotte on Monday night.