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MINNEAPOLIS — The scoreboard read 128-126 in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Minnesota Timberwolves' postgame messaging told a different story entirely. This wasn't surrender. This was defiance.
Down 3-1 in their playoff series after Monday night’s loss, the Wolves walked into the postgame press conference with quiet but strong determination. Ahead of Wednesday’s Game 5 in Oklahoma City, where they face possible elimination, the Timberwolves spoke with calm confidence showing they know how to fight back when the pressure’s on.
The players made it clear: they're not ready to end their season. And they have reasons to believe they can extend it.
“There's no other mindset to have,” Donte DiVincenzo said, his voice carrying the weight of 82 games that brought them to this point. “You don't win, you go home. We're trying to get another home game.”
It's a simple truth that cuts through all the noise. Win Wednesday, or clean out the lockers Thursday.
The Wolves have been here before — not elimination games, necessarily, but moments when everything seemed stacked against them. Remember February's tough loss against Phoenix? Nickeil Alexander-Walker says Coach Chris Finch called them out, and they responded by going 17-4 to close the regular season. That turnaround wasn’t accidental; it reflected the team’s ability to stay focused and fight through challenges.
“Every time we've had a coming to terms talk within each other, we've always responded well,” said Alexander-Walker, who dropped 23 points off the bench. “We have a resilient group and I trust in that group.”
The numbers from Game 4 tell a story of missed opportunities rather than outright dominance. Anthony Edwards, ever the optimist in defeat, pointed to the possession battle: “They got 20 more possessions than us and we lost by 2.” Translation: clean up the details, and this series looks completely different.
Those struggles began early, as Oklahoma City’s physical defense disrupted Minnesota’s ball movement. “They play super handsy and hard,” Jaden McDaniels said after his 22-point performance, explaining how it threw the Timberwolves off balance from the start.
Beyond the box score: Timberwolves won’t quit
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But here’s what the box score cannot capture: the Wolves’ bench once again outperformed expectations. DiVincenzo (21 points) and Alexander-Walker (23) led the charge off the bench, while McDaniels stepped up as a starter. This is not a team running on fumes — it is a team grinding through every possession, taking it game by game and refusing to quit.
“They was balling,” Edwards said of Divincenzo and Alexander-Walker. “Hopefully they carry that into the next game. We'll be alright.”
That phrase — “we'll be alright” — has become Edwards' trademark response to adversity. To some, it reflects steady confidence; others may see it differently.
The Wolves have spent all season being counted out, written off and dismissed. Facing an elimination game almost feels fitting. They have made a living off proving doubters wrong.
“Everybody's counted us out all year,” DiVincenzo said. “We don't care what the media's gonna say. We're focused on one game at a time.”
Wednesday night will determine whether that focus translates into survival — or whether Minnesota's season ends the way so many others have: with promise unfulfilled and questions about what might have been.
The Timberwolves believe they know which story they are writing.
