Thunder face rare test of fortitude after Wolves' recommitment to throwing 'fastball' on defense

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The score was already out of hand midway through the second quarter, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recognized the opening in Minnesota's drop pick-and-roll coverage and rose up at the elbow for the type of mid-range jumper Oklahoma City feasted on over the first two games of the Western Conference finals.

Instead of following through on that shot on Saturday night, though, the newly minted NBA MVP had a second thought.

With Rudy Gobert's long arm outstretched in front of him, Gilgeous-Alexander suddenly turned to his right in mid-air. But with nobody there to pass to, he landed back on the court while still holding the ball for the rare but obvious traveling call.

After the Thunder found all kinds of soft spots in their defense and consistently hit those open shots over two decisive wins to start the series, the Timberwolves tightened up their pressure with a back-to-basics approach on their home court that fueled a 143-101 victory in Game 3.

“Sometimes you've just got to throw your fastball,” coach Chris Finch said. “We were trying to do too much other junk out there at times.”

Inspired by the success Denver had with the look in its seven-game second-round series against Oklahoma City, Minnesota mixed in some zone defenses over the first two games but failed to gain any traction with it. Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 69 points, and the Thunder made exactly half of their shots from the floor.

With a palpable boost from the crowd at Target Center from the opening tip, the Wolves aggressively hounded the ball, employed effective switches and — the possession that ended with Gilgeous-Alexander's traveling violation notwithstanding — played far less drop coverage than in the first two games to keep the Thunder from finding a mid-range rhythm. Most importantly, they were disciplined enough to keep their fouls to a minimum.

Gilgeous-Alexander went more than 13 minutes of game time in the first half between baskets and finished with 14 points on 4-for-13 shooting with four turnovers and only four free throw attempts. In the first quarter, with the Wolves up 24-9, Gobert blitzed Gilgeous-Alexander for a double-team in the backcourt and swatted the ball out of his hand for a steal that started a fast break.

“What works for us is us playing hard man-to-man defense, playing in gaps, being in passing lanes and being physical,” point guard Mike Conley said. “We’ve got to continue to get better at some of the adjustments they’re going to do, but tonight I was happy with the way that we just kind of hit the reset button and locked in on our way of playing.”

The big question for Game 4 on Monday night is how quickly the Thunder can bounce back from such a drubbing.

“It’s been who we are generally,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We know the ebbs and flows of a playoff series. We’ve been on the other end of games like this, and they haven’t been predictive of the next game either. We do have to look at it and address the things that went awry for us, but at the same time it’ll be a new game. It’ll be 0-0 when Game 4 starts.”

This was the largest margin of defeat in NBA history for a team with 65-plus regular-season wins and only the second time in these playoffs the Thunder lost by more than 10 points. Their margin of defeat only reached double digits five times out of 14 losses during the regular season.

“We have a group of guys who really care. At this point of the season and after a game like that, nobody’s thinking, ‘Just throw it away,’” said Chet Holmgren, who made only three shots to match his low for this postseason. “There’s lessons in there where we can all be better.”

This presents a new test for a young Thunder team so dominant throughout this season it hasn't had many.

“It happens. You’re never going to be perfect in life, in a long season. You get punched, it's about getting back up and responding,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s what the next challenge is. We got punched in the mouth, and next game we’re either going to get back up or not. We have a decision to make for sure.”

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Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein (55), Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, and guard Mike Conley (10) reach for a loose ball during the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, middle, shoots the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defends against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looses controls of the ball while defended by Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, center, and forward Jaden McDaniels, right, during the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

AP Media Writer (AP) — An internal CBS News battle over a “60 Minutes” story critical of the Trump administration has exploded publicly, with a correspondent charging it was kept off the air for political reasons and news chief Bari Weiss saying Monday the story did not “advance the ball.”

Two hours before airtime Sunday, CBS announced that the story where correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi spoke to deportees who had been sent to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison, would not be a part of the show. Weiss, the Free Press founder named CBS News editor-in-chief in October, said it was her decision.

The dispute puts one of journalism's most respected brands — and a frequent target of President Donald Trump — back in the spotlight and amplifies questions about whether Weiss' appointment was a signal that CBS News was headed in a more Trump-friendly direction.

Alfonsi, in an email sent to fellow “60 Minutes” correspondents said the story was factually correct and had been cleared by CBS lawyers and its standards division. But the Trump administration had refused to comment for the story, and Weiss wanted a greater effort made to get their point of view.

“In my view, pulling it now after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one,” Alfonsi wrote in the email. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

Alfonsi said in the email that interviews were sought with or questions directed to — sometimes both — the White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security.

“Government silence is a statement, not a VETO,” Alfonsi wrote. “Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed to kill the story. If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient.”

“Spike” is a journalist's term for killing a story. But Weiss, in a statement, said that she looked forward to airing Alfonsi's piece “when it's ready.”

Speaking Monday at the daily CBS News internal editorial call, Weiss was clearly angered by Alfonsi's memo. A transcript of Weiss' message was provided by CBS News.

“The only newsroom I'm interested in running is one in which we are able to have contentious disagreements about the thorniest editorial matters with respect and, crucially, where we assume the best intent of our colleagues,” Weiss said. “Anything else is completely unacceptable.”

She said that while Alfonsi's story presented powerful testimony about torture at the CECOT prison, The New York Times and other outlets had already done similar work. “To run a story on this subject two months later, we need to do more,” she said. “And this is ‘60 Minutes.’ We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera.”

It wasn't clear whether Weiss' involvement in seeking administration comment was sought. She reportedly helped the newscast arrange interviews with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff this past fall to discuss Trump's Middle East peace efforts. Trump himself was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell on a “60 Minutes” telecast that aired on Nov. 2.

Trump has been sharply critical of “60 Minutes.” He refused to grant the show an interview prior to last fall’s election, then sued the network over how it handled an interview with election opponent Kamala Harris. CBS’ parent Paramount Global agreed to settle the lawsuit by paying Trump $16 million this past summer. More recently, Trump angrily reacted to correspondent Lesley Stahl’s interview with Trump former ally turned critic Marjorie Taylor Greene.

“60 Minutes” was notably tough on Trump during the first months of his second term, particularly in stories done by correspondent Scott Pelley. In accepting an award from USC Annenberg earlier this month for his journalism, Pelley noted that the stories were aired last spring “with an absolute minimum of interference.”

Pelley said that people at “60 Minutes” were concerned about what new ownership installed at Paramount this summer would mean for the broadcast. “It’s early yet, but what I can tell you is we are doing the same kinds of stories with the same kind of rigor, and we have experienced no corporate interference of any kind,” Pelley said then, according to deadline.com.

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

FILE - The CBS logo at the entrance to its headquarters, in New York Dec. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)