OKLAHOMA CITY — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch had words for the officials after a 116-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. After Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards was cleared to play in the matinee on the road, Minnesota fell short in the final frame, where the Thunder outscored its opponent 36-27.
Amidst a tightly-contested second half, the Thunder built a double-digit lead down the stretch. Then, Edwards fouled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's on a 3-point play, which turned Oklahoma City's 13-point lead into a 16-point advantage. Finch didn't hold back on his gripe with the officials, relating to Edwards' critical foul on Gilgeous-Alexander, he said, per Thunder Wire's Clemente Almanza.
“The first one was probably a foul. The unfortunate one was that they called the little grab on the inbound play. That's going on everywhere every time,” Finch said. “I still maintain that he doesn't get the amount of respect defensively that he should. If you watch their defenders play defense, they grab and hold a lot too, which is fine. It's part of the game. Then, you call that one — whistle him right out of the game — that one was tough for us.”
A reporter's follow-up question focused on Isaiah Hartenstein, who returned to the Thunder's lineup from a calf injury, and the starting center's impact from the top of the key, where he did his damage in passing, and setting screens.
“We were off him a little bit too much,” Finch added. “Then, we weren't in a position to do an emergency help, you know. Got to battle through those screens. We know he's a playmaker. That's what he does. Thought a few of them were highly questionable whether they were legal or not, doesn't matter. Got to battle through and you gotta make them miss.”
Edwards, who spent time throughout the day in front of Gilgeous-Alexander, finished with 19 points on 6-for-17 shooting, including 2-of-5 from deep, six rebounds, five assists, one block, and one steal against the Thunder.
Julius Randle, Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves come up short
While the final score between the Thunder and Timberwolves shows a 13-point differential, this Western Conference Finals matchup was a lot more competitive than the score indicates. Anthony Edwards followed up his 40-point game in 127-117 win with an all-around valiant effort on both ends of the floor. Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch just wishes his team hadn't fallen short.
However, the Thunder exuded its depth surrounding All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (20 points) and Chet Holmgren (21 points) who combined for 41 points, while Isaiah Joe scored 20 of the Thunder's 61 points from the bench. Alex Caruso added 17 points, and Jared McCain connected on five 3-pointers.
