After taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals with a pair of commanding victories, the Oklahoma City Thunder fell back down to Earth in Game 3.
OKC was demolished from start to finish by Minnesota as the Timberwolves cut the Thunder's lead to 2-1 on their home court while handing Oklahoma City the biggest playoff loss in franchise history.
Even with a 2-1 lead, Mark Daigneault and company must respond after being embarassed in Game 3, and will have the opportunity to do so on Monday, as the Wolves and Thunder square off in Game 4 from the Target Center.
If OKC is able to beat Minnesota, the Thunder will take a 3-1 lead back to Oklahoma City and will have the chance to end the series in Game 5. Additionally, stealing a win on the road would help swing the momentum back to Diagneault's team.
To rebound and beat the Timberwolves on Monday, Aaron Wiggins says the team will need to be more physical and prevent Chris Finch's team from settling in.
"We're not going to shut them out, but we've got to make sure that we're playing on our terms," Wiggins told Nick Gallo. "We've just got to make sure that we're being physical, being agressive and not allowing them to be comfortable."
In Game 3, the Wolves were able to get nearly any look they wanted, as Minnesota shot 57.3% from the field and 50% from the floor. Additionally, Finch's team grabbed 19 more rebounds than Oklahoma City and turned the ball over just 10 times.
For OKC to bounce back in Game 4, Daigneault's team will have to make Anthony Edwards and company take tougher shots, be stronger on the glass and force more turnovers. As Wiggins noted, all of the aforementioned improvements require Oklahoma City to play with physicality and urgency.
The Thunder won 68 games in the regular season and 10 so far in the postseason playing a very intesnse, physical brand of basketball. So much so that multiple players and coaches have complained about officiating.
If Oklahoma City can once again tap back into the same playstyle, the group should put up a much better fight in Game 4.
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