Preseason record: 2-0
Rashad McCants scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and Rodney Carney and Ryan Gomes hit consecutive 3s to help Minnesota spoil the Oklahoma City Thunder’s preseason debut with an 88-82 victory Wednesday night.
The game was the Thunder’s first since the team moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City during the offseason.
The Thunder led 71-62 with 9:54 remaining, but McCants scored 11 of Minnesota’s next 14 points, tying the score at 76 with a dunk with 4:45 remaining.
Rodney Carney played 26 minutes and showed what we know he can do: Run and dunk (he also had a nice double-clutch baseline layup). But he made his only three of the night (he missed three other tries) when it counted most, when Sebastian Telfair found him all alone in the corner with the shot clock running down with 3:04 left. He is intrguing, but he and Corey Brewer seem awfully similar: Great athletes in the open floor, great hops, inconsistent shooter.
Kevin Love matched up against Johan Petro and Nick Collison, among others, and the first two preseason games showed he’s going to get outreached and outjumped under the basket. But he also has held his own through sheer scrappiness. He had eight of his 10 points in the 4:36 he played in the first quarter and played 27:37 total.
The Wolves made seven of 24 three-point shots two nights after shooting 58 percent from the field in Monday’s runaway victory at Milwaukee…
Wittman was encouraged that his team’s defensive intensity seldom wavered if its offensive execution did. A big difference in this game from last season: The Wolves got into the free-throw bonus in the fourth quarter and made nine of 10. The Thunder never did and shot only one free throw in the fourth.
…center Al Jefferson had 13 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.
Rookie forward Kevin Love, with 10 points, was one of three other players in double figures for Minnesota, along with forward Corey Brewer (11) and guard Rodney Carney (10).
Forward Craig Smith didn’t play because of swelling in his knee.