The Oklahoma City Thunder have been absolutely dominant in the 2025-26 NBA season, but a narrative has floated around for quite some time now about them benefiting from a special whistle. Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked if that narrative bothered him in his press conference after their 112-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Friday, and he brushed it off.
“I don’t care, not one bit,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I can’t control how the refs blow the whistle ever. I’ve never been able to. Never been a ref. All I can do is play basketball, and that’s all I focus on. Try to win games and championships.”
This question came up as the Timberwolves had shot 47 free throws on the night, compared to 30 for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear, though, that he couldn’t care less about all the outside noise.
As for the complaints about the special whistle, that’s down to the notion that the Thunder get away with playing a brand of physical defense that teams aren’t allowed to play against Gilgeous-Alexander. The belief is that the Canadian gets fouls over minimal contact, while the likes of Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are allowed to be overly physical with opposing stars.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was even ejected in the first quarter here because he went off on the officials over some non-calls early on. Did that end up playing a part in his team getting calls afterward? Well, we’ll never know for sure.
Getting back to Gilgeous-Alexander, he is currently averaging 9.5 free throw attempts per game this season, which ranks fourth in the NBA. The reigning MVP has finished in the top four in the category in each of the last three seasons.
All those trips to the line have led to Gilgeous-Alexander being labeled a free-throw merchant, but he has bluntly stated he doesn’t care about it. The 27-year-old isn’t letting any of that chatter get to him, but that isn’t going to stop the fans from letting their feelings be known.
Gilgeous-Alexander was showered with those chants in the fourth quarter of this loss to the Timberwolves.
Wolves fans chanting “FREE THROW MERCHANT” at SGA 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/NKSv47xqxu
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) December 20, 2025
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t go to the line too many times in this one, though, as he finished the contest 8-8 from the stripe. The three-time All-Star impressed for much of the night, but failed to come through at the end.
Gilgeous-Alexander first saw his layup blocked by Anthony Edwards with the Thunder trailing 108-107 in the final minute. Edwards then stole the ball from the Thunder guard as he looked to tie the game at 110 and send it to overtime.
Despite those two plays, it’s hard to be too harsh on Gilgeous-Alexander, considering he had 35 points (12-26 FG), five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks. You could argue he was the only Thunder starter to even have an above average game here.
This loss dropped the Thunder to 25-3 on the season. They have now lost two of their last three after getting to 24-1 and it’s now looking a little bit unlikely that they’ll break the Golden State Warriors‘ record of 73 wins in the regular season.
As Gilgeous-Alexander stated, though, the goal is to win the championship. The defending champions remain the clear favorites despite these hiccups and you’d expect them to bounce back in style. The Thunder are in action next against the Memphis Grizzlies at Paycom Center on Monday at 9:30 PM ET.
