It was a heartbreaking loss for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they were beaten by the Minnesota Timberwolves on a last second buzzer beater by Andrew Wiggins. The OKC Thunder fans were frantically cheering for a brief second after Carmelo Anthony hit the supposed to be winning three points in the last five seconds of the game. It was indeed a brief moment of happiness for the Thunder as Andrew Wiggins from the Timberwolves launched a basket in the final seconds of the game that led to the Timberwolves win by a score of 115-113.
A hard and heartbreaking game for the Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder started the game off as the Timberwolves were leading the first three-quarters of the game. The Timberwolves made the initial push and scored a double-digit lead against the Thunder. It was hard for the OKC to keep up with the Timberwolves but they did not give up. In the fourth quarter of the game, Russel Westbrook’s presence was already felt as he led his team to outscore the Timberwolves and to finish the game in their favor, despite Wiggins scoring a basket in the last seconds of the game.
The Thunder fought a hard fight against the Timberwolves as it was their second night of the back-to-back game. The team averaged 47.9 percent shooting from the field, 35.5 percent in three-point shooting with 11 turnovers and 45 rebounds.
Russel Westbrook led his team with 31 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists in his 37 minutes of game time. Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points with two rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. The team’s bench players showed great potential as they added a total score of 28 points from their unit. It was clear the Thunder fought valiantly, but it was not enough to win against the Timberwolves.
The buzzer-beater shot of Andrew Wiggins
It was an exciting night for the Minnesota Timberwolves as Andrew Wiggins gave them a split-second heart attack for his buzzer beater shot that led his team to win against the Thunder. After Carmelo Anthony’s three-point shot, Wiggins received the inbound ball and ran down the middle with the help of his teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, who sprang him free with a pick on Paul George.
Wiggins was able to work the ball and free to shoot his buzzer-beater shot as he launched an off-balance trey that banked to the glass and into the basket.
Incorrect no-calls during the game
On Monday, the NBA announced that there was one incorrect no-call during the game between the Thunder and the Timberwolves. It was noted that the officiating crew did not see Coach Tom Thibodeau of the Timberwolves had called a timeout in the last seconds of the game that led to the win against the Thunder.
The report noted that Thibodeau called a timeout after Carmelo Anthony’s three-point shot, with five seconds remaining in the game. Official Gary Zielinski was standing in front of Thibodeau, with his back to the coach, as he signaled for a timeout. It's unclear if Thibodeau verbally called a timeout as well.
