Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Underwhelming Loss to the Timberwolves

After losing to the six-win Detroit Pistons on Sunday, it seemingly couldn't get any worse for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That was until last night, where the Thunder fell short of the Minnesota Timberwolves and allowed the season series to be tied with two wins each. Minnesota's win put itself at the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a game advantage over Oklahoma City, while the Denver Nuggets also jumped to the No. 2 spot. 

It was a big 37-point night for MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the rest of the roster struggled to provide much help. The next best performance for the Thunder was Jalen Williams' 20 points, but the forward also suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter that took him out of the contest. 

Oklahoma City will likely want to forget about the past couple of days, but the losses are going to sting moving forward in the tough battle at the top of the West.

Here are three takeaways from the 107-101 loss:

Rookie Struggles

It's common for rookies to face road blocks and inconsistencies in their first season in the NBA, and it certainly seems like now is the time Chet Holmgren will have to face them. 

The Minnesota defense steered by Rudy Gobert proved difficult for Holmgren to deal with, only being able to put up four points on 2-of-9 shooting. He was able to grab seven rebounds and block three shots, but the rookie looked outclassed for most of the 48 minutes.

Detroit didn't fare any better for Holmgren, as he scored just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting and 12 rebounds. Stacked up against Jalen Duren's 22 points and 21 rebounds it looks a whole lot worse, and he was once again outclassed. 

It's natural for rookies to deal with these rough patches, and for how much an impact player Holmgren has been throughout the season, there isn't much to begin panicking about. 

Holmgren will have a rebound performance soon enough, but in case of more inconsistencies for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, trading for a proven backup center to help the rookie out could be beneficial for both him and the team. 

Closing Lineups 

Off-nights for a few of Oklahoma City's key players – including Holmgren and Luguentz Dort – caused some important lineup adjustments for head coach Mark Daigneault to make that he otherwise wouldn't.

The closing lineup consisted of the usual Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, but also featured Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams and Jaylin Williams. 

Wiggins and Kenrich did provide quality and consistent minutes of action, combining for 15 combined points. Jaylin also had a few great defensive plays in his 15 minutes of playing time, but in a closing lineup against one of the best teams in the NBA, it wasn't exactly ideal.

It shows some holes in the Thunder lineup when its best players don't pull through or deal with injuries, which could be a problem once playoff season rolls around. 

The second unit may need to be bolstered by the trade deadline if Oklahoma City wants to compete for a championship, or else teams will continue to take advantage when its starters aren't active in the game.

The Wild, Wild West

The fight for the top spot in the Western Conference ladder has been through constant development over the last month.

Between the Thunder, Timberwolves and Nuggets, it has been entirely up for grabs as to who will command the No. 1 seed for good. 

Oklahoma City had it, but with the loss to Detroit and Minnesota, it now finds itself back in the No. 3 position. The different between one and three is still only by a single game, so a multitude of circumstances could allow it to regain the top spot in the next few days.

Defeating the Timberwolves last night would have been the most ideal situation for the Thunder in affirming its spot, but instead the season series between both teams will be a tie. The brief period Oklahoma City had the advantage over Minnesota kept it in possession of the No. 1 seed without a tie-breaker needed, so now things will get even more complicated once the regular season starts ticking down.

The Thunder will have to face the Nuggets on Wednesday in another important game. which will also serve as a series-deciding contest. Oklahoma City has the 2-1 advantage once again, but will look to have the opposite outcome in the fourth matchup than it did against the Timberwolves

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