CNN
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The Minnesota Timberwolves set a franchise record for points scored in the playoff games on Saturday night as they routed the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 to cut their deficits in the Western Conference Finals.
Anthony Edwards led the score with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes.
“It just brings out these teams and energy,” the All-Star said in three post-game times. “OKC plays with a lot of energy, regardless of the first or fourth quarter. So, at least try to surpass their energy, or at least match it. I think we did that because that was the most important thing today.”
Also won were Julius Randle, who scored 24, and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who was impressed by 15 points in just 13 minutes.
“Great,” Randle said when he asked about Shannon’s performance. “We knew he needed this series, and the coach clearly has a lot of faith in him. So he brought a lot of energy to the game because he prepared for his moment and gave us the lift he did, he was a huge boost for our team today.”
This was a Shannon-like contribution that the Minnesota bench actually outperformed the Thunder starter 66-49 in the evening.
After two defeats in Oklahoma, the wolves clearly enjoyed returning to target center. By the age of 34 in the third quarter, Randle could be seen screaming “We’re back home now!” Repeated in the direction of the Minnesota crowd.
By that point, the contest had been over for a while. Oklahoma City has the best defensive power in the NBA, but it went down quickly when a 12-0 run in the first quarter raised the Wolves to 25-9.
By the end of the quarter it was 34-14, and since the second quarter the Thunder had not reached within 22 points of the home team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named NBA MVP earlier this week after scoring 69 points in the first two games of the series, managed only 14 points in a 4-for-13 shooting.
There was 4:25 left in the third quarter, with Thunder falling at 38, and Thunder head coach Mark Deanoo acknowledged his starman and primed it.
“We didn’t bring that from an energy and focus perspective,” Gilgeous-Alexander later admitted. “They just came out with an urgency, but we didn’t.”
The Wolves hope to count home advantage again and tie the series together when the team meets in Game 4 on Monday night.