Thunder Seize Control with Nail-Biting Win in Game 4
This wasn’t one of those NBA playoff games you ignore until the end. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves delivered a wild, back-and-forth thriller in Minneapolis, but it was the Thunder holding their nerve to escape with a 128-126 win on Monday night. Now, Oklahoma City sits just one victory away from the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, leading the Western Conference Finals series 3-1.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (everyone just calls him SGA) was everywhere on the court. He lit up the Timberwolves with 40 points, dropped 10 assists, and ripped down 9 boards, coming close to stealing a triple-double on the road. Whenever the Wolves threatened to put together a run, SGA marched the Thunder back—hitting tough jumpers, drawing fouls, and orchestrating OKC’s offense with total confidence. Jalen Williams, who has turned plenty of heads during this playoff run, backed him up by dropping 34 on an efficient 13-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-9 from deep. The Timberwolves simply could not find an answer for either of them in clutch moments.
Wolves Can’t Keep Pace Despite Gutsy Showing
It’s no secret that Minnesota felt good after their blowout win in Game 3, a 143-101 thrashing where just about everything fell through the net. This time, they played tough and kept it tight, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the way with 23 points. Lately, the Wolves had a reputation for coming through in crunch time—they were undefeated (4-0) in nail-biters this postseason—but OKC’s offensive depth made sure that record didn’t last. Minnesota still needed their big guns to step up, but Anthony Edwards never quite caught fire, and Karl-Anthony Towns was hounded into tough shots.
After three quarters of trading buckets, the Thunder surged ahead in the final minutes. Every Minnesota rally met a response: either SGA gliding to the hoop, Williams burying a three, or Chet Holmgren cleaning up on defense. The Wolves did hit 16 triples, but their usually reliable defensive energy slipped just enough to let the Thunder pull out front late.
Before the game, bookmakers had Oklahoma City as a 3-point favorite—turns out, that was generous considering the final score nearly blew past the over/under of 219 points. Both teams left everything out there, but it was the Thunder’s depth and composure that made the difference when things got tense.
The focus now shifts to Oklahoma City, where they’ll try to wrap up the series in Game 5 in front of a raucous home crowd. Minnesota’s season now hangs by a thread—they need a night like Game 3 with the threes falling and their defense setting the tone, or the Thunder will be stamping tickets to the Finals.