Edwards caps Wolves’ comeback with clutch block vs. Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY — Anthony Edwards blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s go-ahead shot attempt, capping a 25-point second-half comeback as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 131-128 in overtime on Monday night.

Jaden McDaniels scored 27 points, Naz Reid had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 21 points for the Timberwolves. Edwards had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists for Minnesota, which lost 130-123 to the Thunder on Sunday night.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 39 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, but Edwards blocked him at the rim with 13.2 seconds left in overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander also missed a 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left in the extra period that would have tied the score.

The Timberwolves were trailing by as many as 16 points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter. They are only the second team in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98) to win after trailing by at least that many points with that little time left in regulation, according to ESPN Research. The Bucks did it against the Raptors on Jan. 4, 2023 after trailing by 21 in the final four minutes.

After the game, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch applauded his team’s “mental toughness” in battling the league’s top-ranked defense, a unit he says fouls “all the time.”

“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said. “They really do. They foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai. And it’s a very frustrating thing and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try and play through it. And we just eventually were able to get downhill and force the issue ourselves and were rewarded for it.”

Minnesota ended up taking 39 free throw attempts, their most in a game since Nov. 28, 2022 against the Wizards.

Jalen Williams scored 27 points and Aaron Wiggins had 19 for the Thunder, who have a comfortable lead in the Western Conference at 46-11.

Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, who sat out three months because of a pelvic fracture before recently returning, rested. Center Isaiah Hartenstein left the game in the second quarter and did not return with what Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called a facial contusion.

Oklahoma City led 82-57 in the third quarter and was ahead 102-80 going to the fourth. But rookie reserve Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 11 of his 17 points in the period and the Timberwolves outscored the Thunder 41-19.