Donte DiVincenzo laced in a corner triple.
He was wide-open. It was a practice shot for him. The type of shot that helped him blossom into one of the better role players in the NBA with the New York Knicks in 2023.
This three was different, though. It wasn’t a practice shot. DiVincenzo tied the game 79-79 with 4:25 left in the third quarter of a pivotal Game 4. It wasn’t a practice shot because DiVincenzo is shooting 31% from deep in the postseason. It wasn’t a practice shot because it electrified the Target Center crowd, the true sixth man in Minnesota’s 42-point win in Game 3.
DONTE HEAT CHECK 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/8Usp2vYCtl
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 27, 2025
The electric moment in Target Center wasn’t enough to propel the Minnesota Timberwolves to another win. The Wolves ultimately lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 128-126, and fell to 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Photo credit: Charlie Walton
Their season is on the line as the series shifts to Oklahoma City for Game 5. If Chris Finch’s squad hopes to play in front of their home crowd again, they will need DiVincenzo and the rest of the bench mob to ignite the type of energy that Target Center brought for Games 3 and 4.
Minnesota’s blowout in Game 3, which pulled the Wolves one game behind OKC in the series, had the fans who packed inside Target Center amped up for Game 4. They were as loud as they’ve been all season, hoping to propel the Wolves to another fast start.
In Game 3, the Wolves held a 20-point lead after the first quarter. In Game 4, they trailed by seven. OKC’s offense was notably more connected, shooting 14 of 25 (56%) from the floor while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams combined for 26 points. Minnesota shot 12 of 19 (63.2%) in the first quarter, but turned the ball over seven times.
Finch didn’t like his team’s level of pace and purpose in Game 4.
“I didn’t think we started the game with that kind of mindset, mentality, and imposing ourselves offensively,” Finch said. “We turned it over seven times in the first quarter. A lot of those were just trying to play in traffic, taking on matchups that invited more attention and more of a crowd, and not kind of really going anywhere.”
The Wolves shot 50% from the floor in the first half and 44.4% from deep, but they were lucky to only be down by eight at halftime. Despite having direction in Game 3, they lacked direction offensively and didn’t score a field goal in the final five minutes of the half. Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards were stuck at nine points combined, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams had 36.
Not only was there a stark disparity between the two stars on either team, but the Wolves kept turning it over (12 first-half turnovers and 14 assists) and couldn’t put a body on the Thunder, who crashed the glass for 11 offensive rebounds.
“You are not going to beat a team like this, certainly if you are turning it over 20 plus times and letting them have a bunch of second-chance opportunities, and we knew that,” said Finch.
The Wolves needed a punch in the second half to prevent OKC from going on another thunderous third-quarter run and keep energy in the building. It would have been an excellent time for Edwards to take over. However, Lu Dort and the Thunder didn’t allow that to happen – they loaded up on Edwards, forcing anyone else to beat them.
Thankfully for Finch, his supporting cast maximized its opportunities.
“The bench was really, really good, so I rolled with them,” Finch said. “They were finding shots for each other, and they shot the ball extremely well from the three-point line, which we did a good job of finding those things.”
HOW NAW?!?!? pic.twitter.com/LgNEocHVom
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 27, 2025
Finch’s most frequent substitutions off the bench – DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Naz Reid – earned the nickname DNA earlier in the season. Without DNA, you wouldn’t have life. And without life, you wouldn’t have energy.
DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker combined for 44 points in Game 4, 26 of which came in the second half. They shot 16 of 26 (61.5%) from the floor and 10 of 16 (62.5%) from deep, landing haymakers from beyond the arc that kept the Wolves close and Target Center deafeningly loud. Reid finished with 11 points, but he completed the DNA strand because, like Donte and Nickeil, Naz helped make the energy plays that kept the Wolves breathing despite self-inflicted wounds all night.
“It says it all right here: They had 19 offensive rebounds,” said Alexander-Walker. “We knew that’s what they did. We knew that they wanted to turn us over. We talked about it, Game 3, we didn’t let them do that, and we’ve seen the result. Everything is out there. There are no secrets. They know how to beat us, we know how to beat them.”
OKC beats its opponents by capitalizing on their mistakes, and that’s why the Wolves are in a 3-1 hole. Minnesota committed 23 turnovers in Game 4 and allowed the Thunder to haul in 19 offensive rebounds. Even though the Wolves finished with more points off turnovers (25 to 22) and second chance points (30 to 24), they lost the possession battle 96 to 94.
“It’s a possession game in the playoffs,” said DiVincenzo. “I think they just dominated us in those categories, and – you hate to say you only lost by two – but that’s where the hope comes.
“We’re still together. We know what we are up against, an uphill battle, but everybody is sticking together and understanding that you try to look at this game and grab any sort of hope, and that was it. You lost the turnovers, you lost the offensive rebounds, and you lost by two.”
The Wolves need to put together another airtight performance like Game 3 to force a Game 6 and keep their season alive. They also need their bench to keep up this production level.
DiVincenzo, Alexander-Walker, and Reid combined to shoot 30% from the floor in the first two games. NAW had 17 points in Game 2. Still, collectively, that group lacked the jolt they consistently brought in the regular season. They weren’t the DNA strand that supplied the Wolves with the energy that boosted them to the Conference Finals. On top of that, the trio’s shooting splits on the road have been notably worse than at home.
DiVincenzo’s 3-point shooting in the playoffs:
At home (7 games): 39%
On the road (7 games): 23.3%
Alexander-Walker’s 3-point shooting in the playoffs:
At home: 48.1%
On the road: 28.1%
Reid’s 3-point shooting in the playoffs:
At home: 41.9%
On the road: 35.5%
NBA teams have only recovered from a 3-1 hole 4.4% of the time. Those are grim odds, but the Wolves have a blueprint for how to beat OKC. They need more from Edwards and Randle, who combined for 21 points on 6 of 20 (30%) from the floor in Game 4. Minnesota must limit the number of self-inflicted wounds to counteract the undeniable nature of SGA, who scored 40 points in Game 4 while shooting 14 free throws.
Just as importantly, Finch needs his bench to be the energy on the road that has filled Target Center. He needs DiVincenzo, Alexander-Walker, and Reid to be the DNA strand connecting the Wolves and keeping them breathing. Another no-show from those three in Paycom Center on Wednesday, Minnesota’s season will end before they can get the opportunity to play once more in front of their energized crowd.