Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-123 on Sunday, avenging their 116-101 loss from before the All-Star break. Before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s birthday gift to coach Mark Daigneault, Holmgren joined ESPN’s SportsCenter after Sunday’s win and addressed Aaron Wiggins’ impact.
Holmgren finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and three blocks against the Timberwolves, while Wiggins provided a spark, supplementing 15 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and one block. It was much appreciated by Holmgren, who gave Wiggins quite the compliment during the interview.
“We got the savior of basketball, Aaron Wiggins, out here doing his thing,” Holmgren said. “So, it really raises the floor on what our team can do, and when you have him out there balling every single night, it really helps you stack up the win column.”
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) February 24, 2025
The Timberwolves snapped the Thunder’s seven-game win streak on February 13. Since then, Oklahoma City has captured wins in their two contests since the All-Star break. Wiggins scored a dozen in the Thunder’s 130-107 win against the Utah Jazz amid his most productive month of the 2024-25 campaign.
Wiggins is averaging 18.7 points on 54.3% shooting, including 49.2% from deep, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in February. And his shooting hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down post-All-Star break, connecting on 6-of-8 from the three-point arc.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 37 points led six Thunder players in double figures, including Chet Holmgren (19 points), fellow All-Star Jalen Williams (18 points), who added nine assists, three steals, and one block, Wiggins (15 points), Isaiah Hartenstein (12 points), and Alex Caruso (11 points). Oklahoma City’s depth, in light of Daigneault’s rotation back at full strength, has been on display of late, coupled with the lengthy eight-day All-Star break, the Thunder are gaining momentum atop the Western Conference standings.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Thunder’s gifts for Mark Daigneault
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrated head coach Mark Daigneault’s birthday on Sunday, he said, after beating the Timberwolves. Gilgeous-Alexander says the team’s rookies sang “Happy Birthday,” and that he was going to personally celebrate his head coach’s 40th birthday in traditional Thunder fashion.
Gilgeous-Alexander revealed he would dump water on Daigneault’s head, which is on brand for how the Thunder celebrate on another, typically after impressive performances, per NBA’s X, formerly Twitter.
“[Let] the rookies sing, and then I’m gonna go in the back give him a noogie and pour some water on his head,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in his postgame interview with ESPN.
SGA on Coach Daigneault’s birthday:
“I’m gonna go in the back and give him a noogie and pour some water on his head.”
pic.twitter.com/dh8PAOxpS4
— NBA (@NBA) February 24, 2025
The Thunder will look to beat the Timberwolves again in a back-to-back on Monday.
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