The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a team of ups and downs during the 2024-2025 regular season.
The young team that went to the Western Conference finals last year – only to fall 4-1 to the Dallas Mavericks – caused buzz in the NBA when they traded All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop.
For some NBA experts and many fans, the move gave a signal that Minnesota was not interested in getting to the finals this year but rather focusing on rebuilding for the future with superstar Anthony Edwards as their central piece. However, the Timberwolves have shown grit and determination in the last couple of weeks, taking down some powerhouses in the Western Conference.
Edwards and the T-Wolves take down the No. 1 on the West
The Minnesota Timberwolves took down the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in Okahoma City. It was largely thanks to Jaden McDaniels, who scored 27 points, and Anthony Edwards, who blocked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s go-ahead shot attempt.
That way, the Timberwolves overcame a 25-point deficit in the second half to beat Oklahoma City Thunder 131-128 in overtime. It was an impressive performance from Minnesota, lead by Edwards’ dominance at the end of the game.
Monday’s game was a rematch of the Sunday battle the teams had, where OKC came out on top 130-123 behind a powerful performance by Canadian superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 37 points. Despite the loss, Anthony Edwards had himself a game, with 29 points, leading the way for the Timberwolves.
It was during that game that Edwards drained a three under pressure and the fans at Target Center were loving it. One particular fan was so excited that he taunted Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, who had to call a timeout. It paid out, as OKC ended up beating the T-Wolves.
A win is just what the Timbervolves needed
A road win against the top team in the West is just what Minnesota Timberwolves needed. The T-Wolves had lost their first two games since the All-Star break, including a 130-123 home loss to the Thunder on Sunday night. Minnesota is 32-27 this season, but Monday’s win shows the Timberwolves‘ potential heading into road games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns.
“I think this starts a lot of momentum for us,” Minnesota‘s forward Naz Reid said. “We bring the energy we brought tonight in the fourth quarter from the jump, we’ve got a great chance of beating all of those teams. I’m excited to get going.”
Minnesota center Rudy Gobert missed the game with back spasms and forward Julius Randle has been out all month with a groin injury. Edwards suffered a slight lower leg injury in the fourth quarter and sat for most of it. But he made one of the game’s biggest plays when he blocked what would have been a go-ahead bucket from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 13.2 seconds left in overtime.
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