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MINNEAPOLIS -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists in a steely performance befitting the NBA MVP, and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped back from a 42-point loss by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-126 in Game 4 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Jalen Williams scored 34 points on 13-for-24 shooting, including 6 of 9 from three-point range, while Chet Holmgren added 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in a statement game in his hometown that helped the Thunder stave off several pushes by the Timberwolves to tie the series.
"They were amazing tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said of Williams and Holmgren. "They were confident, they weren't rattled by the moment. There's so much to say about the work they put in, the effort and the character those two guys have. They deserve these moments ... nothing but proud of these two."
Gilgeous-Alexander went 12 for 14 from the free-throw line, making a pair with 6.1 seconds left to stretch the lead back to three. The Thunder fouled Anthony Edwards with 3.5 seconds to go, and his intentional miss of the second one to try to keep possession was tracked down in the corner by Gilgeous-Alexander and flung out of bounds in attempt to drain the clock.
The Timberwolves had one more inbounds pass with 0.3 seconds remaining that Williams grabbed to send the Thunder back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Wednesday with the chance to advance to the NBA Finals.
Edwards was limited to 16 points, and Julius Randle, with five points on 1-for-7 shooting, was also bottled up by the Thunder's relentless defense led by Luguentz Dort.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (23 points) and Donte DiVincenzo (21 points) each went 5 for 8 from three-point range to lead a second straight onslaught of bench offense to keep the Timberwolves close all night, but the Thunder always had an answer for the mini-runs they managed. They trailed for only 36 seconds, all stretches in the first quarter.
"They were really, really ready to play," Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault said of the Timberwolves. "That was a high, high level start to the game. Both teams were ready to rock. I thought the difference tonight was we leveled up with them, where as in Game 3 we didn't.
"We're expecting their best punch again in Game 5, and we have to throw ours if we want to win the game."
Any intrigue about how the Thunder would respond to the 143-101 drubbing in Game 3 quickly disappeared when Williams started hitting from deep to lead an 11-for-17 shooting start from the floor.
"They got to their spots, and rose up and made shots over us," Minnesota Coach Chris Finch said. "We got to do a better job of trying to contain that first dribble, in Game 3 we did a much better job there."
After shooting just 28% from three-point range over their first six road games in these NBA playoffs, the Thunder went 16 for 37 -- straining the Timberwolves defensively with all the difficulty Gilgeous-Alexander was presenting again following a quiet game on Saturday.
"At the end of the day, you got to look at why," Alexander-Walker said. "Right now, facing reality down 3-1, there's not much time to really dwell in whether or not we're happy or not ... emotions aside, got to focus on what's ahead and get to the next thing.
"At this present moment, when you look back at the game ... they had 19 offensive rebounds, we knew that's what they did ... Game 3 we didn't let them do that and you see the result. Everything's out there, there's no secrets. They know how to beat us, and we know how to beat them. It's just about going out there and doing it."
The Thunder, for all their dominance, have shown a hint of vulnerability away from Paycom Center, where they're 7-1 with a plus-191 scoring differential this postseason.
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, top, reaches to steal the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, top, reaches to steal the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, bottom right, during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, bottom right, during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) celebrates after a 3-point basket by Donte DiVincenzo during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) celebrates after a 3-point basket by Donte DiVincenzo during the second half of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday, May 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)