Wolves fall into 3-1 series deficit as Thunder have every answer in Game 4

Every time the Minnesota Timberwolves made it close, the Oklahoma City Thunder had an answer.

When Donte DiVincenzo's 3-pointer knotted the game in the third quarter as the Wolves erased an eight-point halftime deficit, the Thunder answered with a 7-0 run. As Minnesota cut it to a one-possession game time and time again in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City always came back with a bucket. The end result was a 128-126 Wolves loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday at Target Center in Minneapolis, and a 3-1 series deficit heading back to OKC.

The Thunder's two biggest stars — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams — had it going Monday night, while Minnesota's — Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle — never found a rhythm. While Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams were able to get to their spots, knock down shots in the midrange and attack the rim as they combined for 74 points, Edwards and Randle weren't aggressive, combining for just 21 points on 20 shots, a far cry from what the duo did last time out.

Still, it went down to the wire. Rudy Gobert, who finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, got an offensive board and putback with 9.9 seconds remaining to once again cut it to a one-possession game — 125-123 — but Minnesota had to resort to fouling, and the teams traded free throws. Gilgeous-Alexander made 1 of 2 from the line to give Minnesota some life with 8.4 seconds to go. OKC intentionally fouled Naz Reid, who made two from the free-throw line to make it 126-125.

Gilgeous-Alexander was fouled again, making both from the line. Then it was Edwards, who intentionally missed the second but the Wolves couldn't secure the rebound. OKC threw it out of bounds with 0.3 seconds to go, but the Wolves weren't even close at getting a tip-in in the final moment. The Thunder secured their 3-1 series lead heading to Game 5.

The only reason why Minnesota was able to say in the game was thanks to big efforts from its bench, particularly from Nickeil-Alexander Walker and DiVincenzo, who combined for 44 points. Alexander-Walker hit five shots from deep on his way to a team-high 23 points, while DiVincenzo made four 3s on his way to 21 points. Reid added 11 points.

But the primary issues were turnovers and an inability to secure a rebound on the defensive glass. The Thunder scored 24 second-chance points and 22 points off Minnesota's 22 turnovers, which were plentiful from the get-go. The Timberwolves had 13 turnovers in the first half alone, and OKC was able to build a 65-57 advantage at the halftime break. The Thunder attempted 95 shots for the game to just 84 for Minnesota, a result of their efforts on the offensive glass.

The Wolves were lucky to not be down more. They didn't get much from Edwards and Randle, their two stars, who attempted just six combined shots for nine points. But Jaden McDaniels and Alexander-Walker combined for 23 points.

While Minnesota's bench had it going, its stars went silent. It just feels like everything needs to be clicking against a team of the Thunder's caliber, and it wasn't Monday night. The result is a 3-1 series deficit, with Game 5 on Wednesday in OKC.

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