Thunder vs. Timberwolves: Minnesota reclaims its identity with Game 3

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves needed more than a win. They needed something definitive and resounding, they needed a reminder as to who they are.

More than anything, they needed to make the Oklahoma City Thunder think.

Advertisement

The terms of this Western Conference final series have yet to be decided, and the home team has won every game. Anthony Edwards reminded everyone the Thunder are a great team and beating them once doesn’t make a series.

But beating them soundly, in a way they hadn’t suffered defeat since the front end of a back-to-back set with the Lakers in early April, has to put doubt in the minds of the favored Thunder.

If nothing else, there’s now a belief in the Timberwolves locker room, because they got back to being themselves.

That’s what seemed crystal clear in the Timberwolves’ 143-101 thrashing of the Thunder on Saturday night, as the Timberwolves stopped trying to be teams that have given Oklahoma City trouble and threw their own “fastball,” in the words of Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.

Advertisement

Or, perhaps, throwing their best haymaker.

And it landed.

“We don’t feel psychologically disadvantaged when we step out on the floor,” Finch said. “We just had to kind of keep finding a better game within ourselves. We hadn’t really played our best basketball. Tonight we put it all together.”

They were 20 for 40 from 3-point range after being 11 for 39 and 15 for 51 (29 percent) in Games 1 and 2, respectively. And they held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to perhaps his worst game of the season, as he scored just 14 with six assists and was hounded all night.

That’s the formula, if there is one here — protect the ball and get good shots, play physical defense and give extra attention to Gilgeous-Alexander in the half-court.

Advertisement

He won’t…