Thunder to blame for 2023 Play-In Tournament loss to Wolves

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An encouraging Oklahoma City Thunder season came to an abrupt end in Friday’s 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder were beaten 120-95 in brilliant fashion. As the second half began, it was clear the Thunder would not be heading to the NBA Playoffs.

The Thunder are the only team that was eliminated from the 2023 NBA Play-In tournament and can enter the offseason with their heads held high. Unlike the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City was not expected to compete for a spot in this year’s NBA playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the best basketball players. Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams look like they could be key pieces in the Thunder roster when Oklahoma City is ready to challenge for a championship.

All of these positives, however, don’t erase the fact that the loss to the Timberwolves was a disappointing ending for the Thunder. After beating the Pelicans in their first Play-In tournament game, the Thunder had a vision to become a dashing team in the playoffs. Instead, Oklahoma will watch the playoffs from home for a third straight season. It’s been seven years since the Thunder won a playoff series.

Let’s take a look at the Oklahoma City players who deserve the most blame for the Thunders Play-In Tournament loss to the Timberwolves.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Fair or not, the lion’s share of the blame usually falls on the shoulders of the best player on the team. Gilgeous-Alexander is by far the best player on Oklahoma City’s roster. The Thunder guard should have been the best player in Friday’s game against the Timberwolves. Instead, it was Karl-Anthony Towns. It’s the No. 1 reason the Thunder are going home after the Play-In Tournament instead of preparing for a first-round playoff game with the Denver Nuggets.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 22 points, but he wasn’t effective enough for the Thunder to beat the Timberwolves. The Oklahoma City point guard shot 5 of 19 from the field. Gilgeous-Alexander had seven rebounds and three assists. Considering he averaged 31.4 points and 5.5 assists per game in the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander is well below expectations.

There is an idea that Gilgeous-Alexander might have established himself as one of the top 10 players in the league. The 24-year-old finished fourth in the scoring title race. He led a team that was to qualify for the Play-In tournament. Gilgeous-Alexander could end up earning a spot on the 2023 All-NBA First Team for what he did in the regular season. Gilgeous-Alexander raised the bar for himself, making Friday’s performance a disappointment.

Josh Giddey

There probably wasn’t a single player who had a worse night in Friday’s Play-In tournament play than Giddey. The Thunder guard had an even worse shooting night than Gilgeous-Alexander. Giddey missed 11 of 13 field goal attempts. While Gilgeous-Alexander went 12-12 from the free throw line, Giddey only managed two free throws. Giddey finished with six points, five rebounds and four assists in the biggest game of his NBA career so far.

Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in the regular season. He didn’t come close to matching those numbers against the Timberwolves. Giddeys plus-minus might be the biggest indication of how poorly he played. In 30 minutes with Giddey on the floor, the Thunder were outscored by 22 points.

Giddey’s disappointing performance shouldn’t come as a shock. The goalkeeper is only 20 years old. Those kinds of growing pains are going to happen before Giddey and the Thunder achieve playoff success.

Jaylin Williams

Maybe it’s unfair to put Williams in a category with Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey. Guards are the Thunders’ two best scorers and distributors. Williams is a role player and a rookie. He even beat his season averages by scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds against the Timberwolves. However, there’s no denying he was outplayed by Minnesota’s frontcourt in the Play-In Tournament game.

Williams was unlikely to compete with Towns and Rudy Gobert. Facing a pair of seven-foot crosses, the six-foot-nine forward offered little resistance for the Timberwolves stars. Towns collected 28 points on just 16 field goal attempts in 29 minutes. He added 11 rebounds and three blocks. In the first game after his suspension, Gobert had 21 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-11 shooting.

The Thunder planned to have Chet Holmgren in the middle of their defense this season. The No. 2 overall draft pick’s injury left a significant hole in the back of Oklahoma City’s defense. Williams has been a solid contributor after being selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, but he’s been on display with the Thunders’ season on the line.

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