Moments after a 42-point win, the Minnesota Timberwolves were determined to forget all about it.
Such is life in the NBA playoffs, as the Timberwolves hammered the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 in game 3 of the Western Conference finals yesterday in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with game 4 coming up at 12.30pm today.
"You"ve got to erase this one,"" Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards said.
"This one is over. I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is going to come out and bring energy and be ready to go and they"re going to try to win game 4. We"ve got to come out and exceed their energy and try to get a win and go back for game 5. We"ll be ready.""
The Timberwolves certainly were ready in game 3.
"Energy"" and "force"" were the most common words among Thunder coaches and players after the loss.
The Timberwolves came out desperate to avoid a 3-0 series deficit, and after they built an early lead, they had the confidence and momentum to prevent the Thunder from gaining ground.
"They definitely landed their punches and we had a really hard time getting into the game,"" Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren agreed.
"We"ve got to equal that force and be better,"" Holmgren said.
"It"s not complicated. Wherever they wanted to go, they got there.""
Both teams have realistic hopes of reaching the NBA finals, and the Timberwolves helped their cause.
Edwards scored 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
Julius Randle added 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting for Minnesota, and rookie Terrence Shannon jun scored 15 points off the bench.
For the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points despite missing nine of 13 shots from the field for Oklahoma City. Ajay Mitchell scored 14 points off the bench, and Jalen Williams contributed 13 points.
The Timberwolves set a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game. — Field Level Media
