Shorthanded Timberwolves find a way to top Thunder, halt skid

Neither of the twin towers was available, nor were the top two point guards.

The Timberwolves opened their game Friday at Oklahoma City with an injury report as long as a novel.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordan McLaughlin and Taurean Prince were already out. In the run-up to the game, Rudy Gobert (ankle) and D'Angelo Russell (knee) joined them.

Hoping an influx of fresh legs and youthful enthusiasm would carry the day, coach Chris Finch pushed Naz Reid and Austin Rivers into the starting lineup and Bryn Forbes, Wendell Moore, Jr. and Nathan Knight into the rotation.

And how's this for a plot twist: In a thrilling, gutty 112-110 victory, it worked.

The Wolves opened with energy, moved the ball, shared the load. They took punches and punched back.

They won, breaking a three-game losing streak and ending a long, five-game road trip on a positive note.

"I was pleased that we fought through a lot of things out there," Finch said. "Adversity, some of it self-imposed, some environmental. Guys stuck with it when they could have got their heads down. They kept battling."

Reid scored 28 points with nine rebounds, a block and three steals. His three-pointer with 8 minutes, 46 seconds left put the Wolves up two, and they never trailed again.

Anthony Edwards became the team's offensive creative director, scoring 19 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists. His drive for a dunk with 4:54 left put the Wolves up five.

Rivers scored 20, making six of seven shots, including four of five three-pointers. He hit a corner three with 11.8 seconds left that put the Wolves up four.

In all, six players scored in double figures. The Wolves got 38 points and 14 rebounds from centers Reid and Knight, 14 from Jaden McDaniels and 13 from Jaylen Nowell.

"This team is deep," said Reid, who was one point off his career high. "Like, literally deep. One through 15 could really work out and do what they do. Anybody at any moment in any game can lead us to a big game W. I feel like this can help us moving forward."

The Wolves' depth was enough to offset a 35-point game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

And so was their composure. Minnesota led by 14 late in the third quarter before Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 23 points in the third, led the Thunder (11-18) on a 21-4 run, one filled with missed shots and turnovers by the Wolves, over the final 4-plus minutes of the quarter to take a three-point lead into the fourth.

But they didn't fold.

"I thought that was the moment in the game," Finch said. "I thought that was where we really won the game. We didn't get down in that moment. We made some foolish plays down the stretch [of the third], lost our composure. We regrouped, got back at it, made a couple big shots and away we went."

The Thunder pulled within a point four times after that, but never retook the lead. Edwards hit a jumper the first time, Nowell the second, Reid the third time and Rivers' three came after the fourth.

The Wolves made just enough free throws down the stretch to seal it.

Before the game Kyle Anderson told Reid he felt like this was the game that Wolves would use to go on a run. Perhaps he was right.

"Once he said that, I felt the same thing," Reid said. "And it had a domino effect. Once one person plays really hard and good and does what they're supposed to do, everybody just follows suit."

The Star Tribune did not send the author of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.