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[Saba Sports News] The Minnesota Timberwolves avoided a daunting 0-3 deficit in the Western Conference Finals—and they have an unexpected contributor to thank for it.
Rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who had logged just 20 total minutes over Minnesota’s first 12 playoff games, was added to the rotation for Game 3 by head coach Chris Finch. The move paid off immediately as the Timberwolves hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center.
Inserted at the start of the second quarter, Shannon quickly made his presence felt by scoring nine of Minnesota’s first 12 points in the frame. His spark off the bench helped the Wolves build a commanding lead en route to a 143-101 blowout win. Shannon finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just 13 minutes and posted a +11 plus-minus.
Fans quickly noticed that Shannon outscored Thunder star and league scoring champ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who managed only 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Even former NBA player and analyst Jalen Rose pointed it out in his postgame coverage.
SGA, who averaged 32.7 points per game this season, posted his lowest scoring output of the year as the Thunder fell behind big early. Head coach Mark Daigneault pulled him with 4:25 remaining in the third quarter and OKC trailing 94-56. The 68-win Thunder had not suffered a defeat this lopsided all season.
It’s unlikely Shannon will outscore Gilgeous-Alexander again in Game 4, but the rookie out of Illinois certainly made a strong case for a bigger role moving forward.