The Oklahoma City Thunder entered Game 3 of the Western Conference finals out for blood—raring to take full control of a series in which they were heavily favored.

That would have made a good story if the Thunder showed up. Instead, the Minnesota Timberwolves demolished Oklahoma City 143–101 in a dazzling home-court display of their offensive depth.

Oklahoma City—68-14 this year—was outmatched from the start, going down by 20 after the first quarter and 31 at the break. Its futility handed the Timberwolves a slice of history: their 42-point margin of victory was the largest ever against a 65-win team in either the regular or postseason.

Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards led the way with a complete performance, tallying 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the newly crowned MVP, was held to a season-low 14 points.

Another win will put the Timberwolves two victories from the NBA Finals, which would tie the 2004 edition of the team for Minnesota's closest brush with a conference title. Game 4 is set for Monday night from Minneapolis's Target Center, with tip-off scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Timberwolves Make NBA History in Game 3 Blowout of Thunder.

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