Player grades: Thunder embarrassed by Timberwolves in 143-101 Game 3 loss

MINNEAPOLIS — After Julius Randle scored a close mid-range jumper, he turned to the crowd and pointed down at the court. The crowd was too loud to hear what he said, but you could mouth the words. Minnesota was back home and played like it.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were destroyed in a 143-101 Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the worst loss of their playoff run and likely won’t get topped the rest of the way.

Besides scoring the first four points, the Timberwolves quickly established themselves as the hungrier squad. Facing a dreadful 3-0 series hole, Minnesota played like a team whose season was on the line. Meanwhile, the Thunder looked too laissez-faire.

The Timberwolves quickly built a 34-14 lead after the first quarter. That ballooned thanks to a 38-point second frame. Minnesota returned the favor of everything the Thunder did in the first two games of this series. OKC never looked comfortable on offense while the home squad saw Anthony Edwards and role players step up in the comfort of their own gym.

The Thunder entered halftime with a 72-41 deficit. Nearly doubled on the scoreboard. Yikes. They tried one last chance of a miraculous comeback ala their 29-point Game 3 comeback against the Memphis Grizzlies two rounds ago with a 12-4 run to start the second half, but Edwards quickly popped that balloon as Minnesota answered back with a responsive 20-4 run.

Before the third quarter even ended, the Thunder waved the white flag. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s forgettable night was over. Better to save legs with an every-other-day series than waste minutes out of pride. The Thunder exited the third quarter in a 107-70 deficit. Edwards stepped up in their biggest game of the season with 30 points.

The fourth quarter turned to garbage time for both squads. Except OKC was on the wrong side of it for the first time in forever. The Thunder starters had to sit on the bench and mull over what happened as the Minnesota crowd had an impromptu party.

The Thunder shot 41% from the field and went 14-of-44 (31.8%) from 3. They shot 17-of-19 on free throws. They had 19 assists on 35 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander only had 14 points on 13 shots. Williams was limited to a quiet 13 points. Holmgren had 10 points and five rebounds. Ajay Mitchell scored 14 points off the bench. Dillon Jones had 10 points.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 57% from the field and went 20-of-40 (50%) from 3. They shot 13-of-17 on free throws. They had 30 assists on 55 baskets. Seven Timberwolves players scored double-digit points.

Edwards scored an efficient 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Randle finished with 24 points and four rebounds. Jaden McDaniels had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Terrence Shannon Jr. had 15 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 12 points, Leonard Miller had 11 points and Naz Reid had 10 points off the bench.

Welp. Not much you can take away from this game. The Timberwolves played like a team that treated this as a do-or-die situation. The Thunder played like a team complacent with a 2-0 series lead. Everything that could’ve gone wrong for OKC happened as Gilgeous-Alexander had one of his worst playoff games.

Now the Thunder must quickly move on. The Minnesota road trip goal of a split is still achievable. Maybe after getting embarrassed like this with the entire NBA world’s attention, they’ll play up to their standards in Game 4 in the series’ biggest game yet.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: F

Nothing went right for Gilgeous-Alexander. When he’s off, the rest of the Thunder soon follow. Those heavy responsibilities fall on the shoulders of an MVP winner. As they were buried on the scoreboard, the 26-year-old couldn’t get going to keep it within striking distance.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting, six assists and two rebounds. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws.

The jumpers didn’t rattle in. And the drives to the basket didn’t fall through or result in a whistle. This was the best the Timberwolves have looked all season to shut down Gilgeous-Alexander. Edwards outshone him in the matchup of franchise superstars.

The score was so lopsided that Gilgeous-Alexander’s night was cut short to 27 minutes. That’s the only bright spot of an otherwise ugly showing. I guess you can also spin that the MVP winner played so badly, you have to count this stinker as an anomaly and bounce back with a better Game 4.

Jalen Williams: D

Everything said about Gilgeous-Alexander can be copied and pasted for Williams. The 24-year-old also couldn’t get into a rhythm. Both of the Thunder’s All-Stars failed to match Minnesota’s top players’ intensity level. One fought for every loose ball while the other loosely turned it over.

Williams finished with 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws.

Even though the jumper didn’t fall, Williams created points with drives that resulted in fouls. The Timberwolves helped him up his free-throw numbers, as that was one of the few reliable sources of buckets for OKC with its offensive struggles.

With the game over, Williams was pulled for the final time in the third quarter. The rest of the Thunder starters joined him in the walk of shame to the bench. They must do better in Game 4 or risk disaster as they return to OKC for Game 5.

Chet Holmgren: D-minus

Excited to play at Target Center, Holmgren’s homecoming was spoiled. He reminisced on Saturday morning about being a child and heading to the Lifetime gym buried underneath the arena. Perhaps he’ll hit his old stomping grounds after an embarrassing Game 3 loss.

Holmgren finished with 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had a steal.

The Thunder will need more out of their star trio for Game 3. They had one of their best games of their youthful era in Game 2. All three scored 20-plus points. But they followed it up with a no-show at Minnesota as its frontcourt out-bullied theirs.

Getting the night started with this BIG MAN CONNECTION 😤 pic.twitter.com/E3tDQSE301

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 25, 2025

Ajay Mitchell: B

The lone bright spot, the Thunder went to Mitchell to provide a spark before they quickly lost grip. The 22-year-old has seldom played in the playoffs. So you know things went back if the Thunder had to rely on their second-round rookie to get some juice.

Mitchell finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and one assist. He shot 1-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had a steal.

While Mitchell couldn’t change the Thunder’s fortune, that shouldn’t count against him. Daigneault turned every stone for an answer before he finally conceded. He put up some decent stats in garbage time. That could help his confidence going forward.

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This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder suffer 143-101 Game 3 loss to Timberwolves