Anthony Edwards scored 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves raced to a 143-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Julius Randle added 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 points off the bench, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker chipped in 12 points off the bench.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 points despite missing nine of 13 shots from the field for Oklahoma City. Ajay Mitchell scored 14 points off the bench, and Jalen Williams contributed 13 points.
The Timberwolves set a franchise record for most points scored in a playoff game.
Minnesota shot 57.3 percent (55 of 96) from the field and 50 percent (20 of 40) from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City shot 40.7 percent (35 of 86) overall and 31.8 percent (14 of 44) from 3-point range.
The Timberwolves, who were desperate to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series, wasted little time taking command. They jumped out to a 34-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, which included 3-pointers by Alexander-Walker and Edwards in the final two minutes.
The Thunder trailed 13-9 when Minnesota went on a 12-0 run to seize a 25-9 advantage with 2:41 remaining in the first quarter. Edwards started the run with a 3-pointer, and he followed 15 seconds later with a driving dunk.
By halftime, the Timberwolves increased their advantage to 72-41. Randle made a pair of free throws to put Minnesota on top by 33 points with 43.5 seconds left in the half, and Williams finished the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City failed to cut into its deficit in the third quarter. The Thunder were outscored 35-29 during that session to fall behind 107-70.
Another 12-0 run by Minnesota turned a 74-52 lead into an 86-52 advantage midway through the third quarter. Jaden McDaniels started the run with a 3-pointer.
Both teams turned to reserve players in the final minutes with the score well out of reach.
