Wolves' Finch: Thunder foul constantly, but 'you can't really touch Shai'
Chris Finch isn't a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder's playstyle.
The Minnesota Timberwolves head coach called out the Thunder following his team's 25-point comeback win Monday, taking issue with what he perceived as constant fouling and an ostensibly favorable whistle for All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"It's so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. They really do," Finch told reporters after the 131-128 overtime victory. "They foul all the time. And you can't really touch Shai. It's a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try to play through it.
"Eventually, we were able to get downhill and force the issue ourselves and were rewarded for it."
Minnesota was called for 11 fouls in Monday's first half compared to just six for Oklahoma City, leading to a 14-7 advantage in free-throw attempts and a 19-point lead for the Thunder. However, the momentum swung entirely in the Timberwolves' favor after the break; Finch's squad went 21-of-24 from the line in the second half and committed just nine personal fouls, while the Thunder were whistled for 19 and shot 9-of-12 on free throws.
That edge carried into overtime too. Minnesota was perfect in eight trips to the line in the final frame, during which Mark Daigneault's squad was just 3-of-3. Six of those Wolves free throws were in the final 62 seconds alone, with only the final two by Nickeil Alexander-Walker due to an intentional foul.
The Timberwolves' 39 free throws Monday are the most they've attempted in any game this season, overtaking their 34 against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 22. It's also tied for their fifth most in any game since Finch took over as head coach in February 2021.
Monday's encounter between the two teams was their second in consecutive nights and their third meeting in February alone. They split their regular-season series 2-2. They'd face each other again in the first round of the playoffs if the Thunder maintain their grip on first place and the No. 7 Timberwolves emerge from the play-in tournament as the eighth seed.