Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops the mic with a nuke when he beats each team’s best shot

Oklahoma. and home – Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows why coach Mark Daigneault wants his team to improve amid an 18-1 start. Daigneault addressed the Thunder’s shortcomings in Wednesday’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading to a 101-101 tie with 3:41 left in the final frame before a 12-4 run put the Timberwolves away.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored five of the Thunder’s points during the period. He finished with 40 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals. Gilgeous-Alexander too explained how The adversity the Thunder faced against the Timberwolves is the best for a defending champion in the middle of an 82-game regular season.

“That’s how you grow – how we grow as a team, playing against the best and doing our best,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It just helps us see where we’re at every night.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Thunder gets each team’s best effort every night: “That’s how you grow – how we grow as a team, playing against the best and doing our best.

It just helps us see where we’re at every night.” pic.twitter.com/j8t85ZHeDG

— Joshua Pavon (@joe_svai) November 27, 2025

In a rematch of the Western Conference Finals against All-Star Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, the Thunder struggled to score against a stifling Minnesota defense. Then Edwards found his offensive rhythm in the second half, finishing with 31 points on 9-of-19 shooting, including five 3-pointers, to keep the Timberwolves afloat amid a tight and physical final frame.

“I always say this about our group: We have a bunch of mature competitors, guys who want to win at the end of the day,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “And that didn’t change because we won. We’ve got guys who are young, hungry, who want to do things in this NBA, want to maximize their potential, and we’ve been able to play a certain way. We’ve just got to maximize ourselves as a group. We just stuck with it because of what the ultimate goal is.”

“We’ve always focused on getting better every day, and that doesn’t change whether you win or lose. And I think because we have that type of mind, we just keep getting better.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, since battling illness was a game-time decision before tipoff, has now scored 20+ points in 91 straight games. The Thunder improved to 4-0 in the NBA Cup West Group A.

What Mark Daigneault wants the Thunder to do better at

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander score 40 points while under the weather conditions in one of the most difficult victories in the regular part of the season. The Thunder outlasted the Timberwolves through a very physical game that featured three technical fouls due to mismatches between the two teams.

“It was a game that was in the mud. There were parts of the game that were very difficult for us. Some of it was making shots. I thought we made some really good plays and found some really good shots that just didn’t fall, which is part of the game. But there are areas we have to improve on. I thought Edwards lost, especially he lost 12 free throws.

“Our fundamentals have to be better defensively so we don’t put him on the line like that. So that’s something we can learn from this game and work on. But overall, we made enough plays to win.”

The Thunder will look to extend their winning streak to 11 games against the Suns on Friday.