After a 123-111 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wished his team had a better plan in their Western Conference Finals rematch. Gilgeous-Alexander was held to 5-of-5 free throw attempts, but finished with 30 points on an efficient 12-0f-18 from the floor. However, All-Star Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves led wall-to-wall before cruising to a 12-point victory.
Gilgeous-Alexander wished the Thunder were better prepared to withstand a 10-point early deficit, which eventually snowballed to a 22-point Timberwolves lead, he said, per The Oklahoman's Justin Martinez.
“We have to feel the first punch for sure, especially against teams of that caliber. We got to play to our standard. Be assertive. Be aggressive. But also, have a plan,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When you play against really good teams, they force you to think the game, read and react, and have a plan. I think that's important to be successful, more so than just going out there, playing hard, and playing together, having a plan on how we're going to beat them.”
Here’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after OKC’s loss to Minnesota pic.twitter.com/CUXeJyIUy0
— Justin Martinez (@Justintohoops) January 30, 2026
The Timberwolves scored 22 points off of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder's seven turnovers. Minnesota's defense also generated looks from the perimeter, where the Timberwolves connected on 22 threes at a 47% (22-for-47) clipe. Facing off against the team that eliminated him in last year's Western Conference Finals, Edwards deemed Thursday's matchup as “personal” during his postgame media availability.
The Timberwolves' entire starting lineup scored in double figures, and Naz Reid's 18 points and seven rebounds led the bench. Chet Holmgren finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 attempts, five rebounds, and three blocks for the Thunder, and Cason Wallace led the second unit with 13 points.
Brian Windhorst reports Thunder's exploring options at center
While it's been a historic season for the defending champion Thunder, with a league-leading record, the 2025-26 campaign has also been riddled with injuries to key players. Perhaps it's the reason the Thunder are reportedly active on the trade front, potentially weighing out options, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
For the first time in two years, there's been chatter among NBA circles that the Thunder are interested in trading for a center, Windhorst said, per ESPN's The Hoop Collective.
“I’ve actually heard the Oklahoma City Thunder’s name in some trade chatter, and you look at this team, and you say, wait a minute, this team is, you know, 66 wins or whatever they had last year, champions, when they’ve been healthy this year, they’ve been unstoppable,” Windhorst said.
“Why would the Oklahoma City Thunder’s name be out there? And why would the Oklahoma City Thunder’s name be out there, potentially looking at centers?”
Thunder starting center Isaiah Hartenstein returned from a knee injury that led to a 16-game absence, while All-NBA and All-Defensive forward Jalen Williams has missed 25 of the Thunder's 49 games this season.
