After an impressive win Wednesday over the Memphis Grizzlies, a 4th quarter collapse condemned the Minnesota Timberwolves to a disappointing comedown as they fell 135-128 against the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday.
In a topsy-turvy game that saw more than a dozen lead changes, the Wolves struggled in a first half that saw Rudy Gobert ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul after he tripped Thunder forward Kendrich Williams.
They roared back in third quarter, outscoring the Thunder by 10 points as they went 19-26, led by D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid, and the returning Jordan McLaughlin.
But then the collapse.
As Wolves struggled with turnovers, the Thunder were ruthless in the paint.
Sixteen seconds into the 4th quarter the Wolves led 103-97, only for Oklahoma to reel off a 28-12 run that put the Wolves down 10 with 3:22 to go, a lead they would not relinquish despite some late flourishes from the home side.
Russell compounded the misery by getting ejected in the 4th quarter. The referees called five technicals on the Wolves over the course of the night, as well as the Flagrant 2 on Gobert.
The loss drops the Wolves back below .500 at 11-12. They have a few days’ break before another game at Target Center Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.
