After losing two straight games, the Minnesota Timberwolves needed to send out an emphatic statement in game 3, and they did. They defeated the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led OKC Thunder, devastatingly, 143-101.
While most of the T-wolves squad showed up to be worthy of the Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander had a rather underwhelming night as he did not contribute much to the Thunder’s success.
‘MVP’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Had a Tough Night
Just a few days after winning the MVP award, SGA had an extremely low-scoring night with just 14 points on 4-13 shooting. He and Thunder were merely sleepwalking through the night, and had no answers to the aggressiveness that Anthony Edwards and team brought in.
OKC was outscored by as many as 32 points with SGA on the floor, so far the season-worst.
Of course, fans’ doubts started to pour in after his lack of energy and performance against the Timberwolves. One fan wrote, “MVP took the night off lol”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 3:
14 Points
4-13 FG
4-4 FT
-32 +/-OSAMA BIN FLOPPIN 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/vdQXKttnkG
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) May 25, 2025
A fan posted a graphic representation of what Shai did against the T-wolves: shooting bricks?
After having recently won the MVP award, it does pose this genuine question for this fan. “THIS THE MAN THEY CALL MVP???”
And then this is another fan with another graphical representation of how Shai should rather “flip” his career around after this particular game. You can see SGA in an In-and-Out uniform, smiling here.
And then there are some who are pointing fingers at SGA’s actual performance without free throws. He wrote, “This guy is so mid, without free throws”, followed by two laugh emojis.
While some called his performance disgraceful, others called him overrated.
OKC Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves: A Recap
Timberwolves completely collapsed OKC’s soul in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Anthony Edwards had a powerful night with 30 points, as he led the team back into contention. Julius Randle, on the other hand, had 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Even Terrence Shannon Jr. gave a convincing performance with 15 points in just 13 minutes and 12 seconds. He still had more points than anyone on the OKC roster.
Maybe a change in venue was all the Timberwolves needed to win against the first-seed OKC, overcoming a 2-0 deficit.
The loud Minnesota fans booed away SGA every single time he even touched the ball. And that wasn’t the only thing OKC had to adjust to. T-wolves altered the way to defend Shai, not letting him pick anything at the 3-point line, or letting him attack the rim like he usually does. Whenever he did try to drive, Edwards and the team countered to cut off lanes.
Yes, OKC did show signs of control, but it all tumbled down against the aggressive front the T-wolves displayed. They managed to keep their players rotating through the court to cover any possibility of holes. This way, OKC missed 11 of their first 15 shots in the game, turning the ball over five times in just six minutes of the game. There was absolutely no chance of them recovering.
Thunder were not able to create any separation for SGA or Jalen Williams, who together went for 7-of-22 from the field.
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OKC trailed by 45 points during the second half and finished the night with a shooting 35-for-86 from the field and 14-for-44 from beyond the arc.
At home-court, the Timberwolves are now 6-1, losing just one game against the Golden State Warriors, when Stephen Curry played.
The two teams now meet on Monday in Minneapolis.
