Timberwolves use unique lineup to defeat Thunder for second time in five days

Coach Chris Finch said in training camp that the basic philosophy guiding the Wolves' rotations was to have one of either Karl-Anthony Towns or Rudy Gobert on the floor at all times.

On Sunday night in Oklahoma City, some foul trouble to Anthony Edwards altered the rotations, and Finch deployed a lineup in the fourth that featured neither Towns nor Gobert.

That lineup broke open a close game and allowed the Wolves to cruise to a 116-106 victory over the Thunder.

The lineup of Edwards, Jordan McClaughlin, Taurean Prince, Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid took an eight-point lead to open the fourth quarter and expanded it to 22 with a 24-10 run. The Wolves (2-1) had hit just four three-pointers headed into the fourth quarter but hit six during that stretch alone. Edwards finished with 30 points for the second consecutive game and had 11 rebounds.

"That lineup, we just sharing the ball," Edwards said. "We don't care who's shooting. It's just fun out there, man. I love to see my teammates shine, man. I don't mind passing the ball for open shots. That five on the floor is the same way."

Nowell finished with 14 points, Prince had 11 while McLaughlin didn't score but was a team-high plus-23 for the night.

The other standout performance in that lineup was from Reid, who didn't play before checking in late in the third quarter. This encapsulates what Reid's role as the third center on the roster will likely be playing behind two All-Stars — inconsistent playing time, nights he doesn't play, but could be called to produce on a moment's notice. He handled that with aplomb Sunday in scoring 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting in his 13 minutes.

That confidence showed in Reid's efficient night. Edwards was in disbelief as he looked at the box score when asked to talk about Reid's night.

"I just told him in the locker room, 'You nice, Naz. You nice,' " Edwards said. "I don't think I have that in me to come in a game when I haven't played the entire game, and I go 5-for-7 and score 14 points. … I haven't seen anybody like Naz in a minute."

As for the rest of the starters, Gobert finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds while Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. The other four starters besides Edwards sat the entire fourth quarter, which was helpful for the Wolves given they play again Monday at home against San Antonio. Luguentz Dort had 20 points for Oklahoma City, which was without guard Shai Gilgegous-Alexander (hip) and lost guard Josh Giddey (ankle) during the game.

Finch didn't want to commit to that fourth-quarter lineup becoming a regular thing. Instead, he said rotations are "pretty fluid."

"We have a lot of guys that can play and help us in different ways," Finch said. "So we're not set in anything right now. We're going to continue to work through those situations until we feel like we have combinations of guys that we like rather than a whole lineup."

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