{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 100, Minnesota 98
When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #40 Leon Wood, #4 Sean Wright
Attendance: 19356

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minus Russell Westbrook and two other starters, the playoff-bound Oklahoma City Thunder still had enough to handle the perennial lottery-destined Minnesota Timberwolves.

Victor Oladipo scored 20 points, including the game-winning jumper with 6 seconds left, as Oklahoma City held on for a 100-98 road win against Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Domantas Sabonis had 19 points as six players scored in double figures for the Thunder despite MVP candidate Westbrook missing his first game of the season to rest.

"I think it's good to get a bit of extra run, put into situations that we're not used to, just to get used to that and get you in better shape," Sabonis said.

Kyle Singler tied a season high with 11 points and Norris Cole had 12 points off the bench as Oklahoma City was without Westbrook, Andre Roberson (rest), Taj Gibson (rest) and Doug McDermott (knee soreness).

The Thunder have clinched the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference playoffs and couldn't move up or down in the season's final two games. Oklahoma City (47-34) will play Houston in the first round of the playoffs. The Thunder are 19-22 on the road but have won four of its last five away from home.

"There's some things I think we can learn from," Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan said. "You never know what happens in the playoffs. Foul trouble, injury, something can happen. So I think all these games are important. You don't want to miss out on an opportunity to go out there and try to play as well as you can."

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves (31-50), who lost their final home game of the season after Andrew Wiggins' 3 pointer at the buzzer missed the mark. Wiggins finished with 18 points.

Point guard Ricky Rubio added 14 points and 10 assists.

Minnesota faded down the stretch and will miss the playoffs for the 13th straight season. The Wolves have lost five in a row and finished 20-21 at home.

"That's the importance of being mentally tough in this league," Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So, you know, we had a grind of a schedule down the stretch here and so just be ready to play. Whatever your circumstances are, you've got to be ready to go. That's the way it is."

Gorgui Dieng gave Minnesota a 98-97 lead with a jumper from the corner, but Norris Cole was fouled by Rubio trying for the steal on an inbounds pass and made one of two free throws. After a Minnesota miss on the other end, Oladipo hit the game-winner.

"I've been in that position a few times already in my career," Oladipo said. "I don't shy away from it."

Even shorthanded, the Thunder dominated the first half, shooting 50 percent from the field and leading by as many as 22 points. Minnesota shot 36.6 percent in the half, including 1 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Timberwolves' defense, an issue all season, couldn't handle Oklahoma City's secondary players. Sabonis had 13 points in the half and Singler added nine points. Singler, starting in place of Roberson, had seven of Oklahoma City's first 22 points.

Minnesota came out determined with a 19-6 run to start the second half and tied the game. But the Timberwolves never led by more than three points and the Thunder answered right back to set up the back-and-forth finish.

"We wanted to come out with some wins, go out with some momentum for next season," Towns said. "But the only way we can do that is to go in tomorrow with the energy and discipline needed to win."

NOTES: Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns passed Kevin Love for the most points in a single season in franchise history. Towns has 2,033 points this season. Love finished with 2,010 in 2013-14. Kevin Garnett is third on the list with 1,987 points in 2003-04. ... The Wolves unveiled a new logo at halftime featuring a wolf's head imposed over a basketball in the team's blue and green colors. ... Thunder G Alex Abrines returned after missing three games with a left knee sprain. ... Towns and Minnesota Fs Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng are three of five players to have played in all of their team's games this season, after Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook missed his first game of the season. Washington C Marcin Gortat and Indiana PG Jeff Teague are the others.
Top Game Performances
 
Oklahoma City   Minnesota
Victor Oladipo 20 Scoring Karl-Anthony Towns 26
Semaj Christon 6 Assists Ricky Rubio 10
Steven Adams 9 Rebounds Karl-Anthony Towns 12
Domantas Sabonis 6 Free Throws Made Ricky Rubio 5
Steven Adams 2 Steals Omri Casspi 3
Steven Adams 2 Blocks Gorgui Dieng 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Oklahoma City 100 43.0 7-22 19-25 22 54 4 7 17
Minnesota 98 44.2 5-20 17-25 24 35 3 12 11
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .312 after a win and .429 after a loss.
  • Oklahoma City will play their next game at home against Denver. The Thunder have a W/L % of .617 after a win and .529 after a loss.