All that really matters is where the roller coaster ends, right?
Saturday in Oklahoma City, in the second half of back-to-back games against the Thunder in Chesapeake Arena, the Wolves had a historically bad first half, and after one of the greatest comebacks in team history in the second …
They lost. 120-118.
The Wolves were down 23 in the first half, up six in the fourth quarter, then lost the magic down the stretch as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander asserted himself.
Minnesota tied a record, allowing the Thunder to score 83 first-half points. Naz Reid scored 11 of his 29 points to start the second half, which ended with the Wolves within two points.
Jake Layman hit two 3-pointers and a 2-pointer as Minnesota build a six-point lead with 7:42 left.
But it was all for naught.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 13 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, but it was Darius Bazley's shot with 1:16 left that gave the Thunder the victory.
Reid scored 29 points, but his shot in the paint at the end of the game didn't fall.
All five Thunder starters scored in double figures, with Bazley scoring 13. Mike Muscala scored 22 off the bench. Anthony Edwards had 20, Malik Beasley 17 and Layman 16 for the Wolves.
While it was a back-to-back against the Thunder, some drastic changes in rosters made it seem like the Wolves were playing a different team. Rising star Gilgeous-Alexander, forward Luguentz Dort and guard Theo Maledon were all held out of Friday's game, in which Al Horford led the team with 26 points. Saturday Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort and Maledon were all available while Horford sat.
The result was a less post-centric Thunder team and one that spread the floor more.
That was all in evidence out of the gate.
With the Wolves turning the ball over, the Thunder rocked to a 15-2 run within the first three minutes.
And OKC never really slowed down, finishing the quarter on a 16-5 run while having its biggest quarter of the season, leading 43-24. This from an offense ranked 28th in the league entering the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 11, the Thunder made 17 of 28 shots, 4 of 10 3-pointers, scored 10 points off Wolves turnovers and 10 points on the break. It was the most points scored by a Wolves opponent in the first quarter this season.
The good news: Minnesota found its offense in the second quarter, scoring 38 points on 15-for-23 shooting. By halftime the Wolves had 62 points and were shooting nearly 55%.
The bad news: The Thunder had scored 83 points. That was a franchise record for the team's time in Oklahoma City and tied for the most the Wolves have ever allowed in the first half.
The Thunder had dropped another 40 on the Wolves, pushing that 19-point lead after a quarter to 21 at the half.
The Wolves quickly changed the narrative. With Reid going off — he scored the Wolves' first 11 points — Minnesota came out of the locker room and put a 32-13 quarter on the Thunder, pulling within 96-94 on Jaden McDaniels' free throw with 17.8 seconds left in the third.
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The Star Tribune did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews after the game.
