Thunder take 3-1 lead as SGA drops 40 on Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists successful a steely show befitting the NBA MVP, and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped backmost from a 42-point nonaccomplishment by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 successful Game 4 connected Monday nighttime to instrumentality a 3-1 bid pb successful the Western Conference finals.

Jalen Williams scored 34 points connected 13-for-24 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and Chet Holmgren added 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks for OKC successful a connection crippled successful his hometown that helped the Thunder stave disconnected respective pushes by the Wolves to necktie the series.

"They got to their spots and they roseate up and made shots implicit us," Minnesota manager Chris Finch said of Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. "But we've got to bash a amended occupation of trying to incorporate that archetypal dribble similar we did successful Game 3, a overmuch amended occupation there."

Gilgeous-Alexander went 12-for-14 from the escaped propulsion line, making a brace with 6.1 seconds near to agelong the pb backmost to 3 points. The Thunder past fouled Anthony Edwards with 3.5 seconds to go, and his intentional miss of the 2nd escaped propulsion to effort to support possession was tracked down successful the country by Gilgeous-Alexander and flung retired of bounds successful effort to drain the clock.

"It's fun. It's up determination with being astatine home," Gilgeous-Alexander said erstwhile asked astir silencing the assemblage connected the road. "It's your occupation to spell retired determination and play hoops and unopen them up."

The Wolves had 1 much inbounds walk with 0.3 seconds remaining that Williams intercepted to nonstop the Thunder backmost to Oklahoma City for Game 5 connected Wednesday with the accidental to beforehand to the NBA Finals.

"They outplayed us, outrebounded us. Got much of the 50-50 balls," Edwards said of the Thunder. "They wanted it a small more."

Edwards was constricted to 16 points, and Julius Randle (five points connected 1-for-7 shooting) besides was bottled up by the Thunder's relentless defense.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.