Thunder journal: Ryan Saunders wins first game as Minnesota interim head coach

Minnesota Timberwolves interim head coach Ryan Saunders gestures in the first half of Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City. [AP Photo]In a checkered suit and blue tie, Minnesota interim head coach Ryan Saunders called over Josh Okogie.

His voice was deeper, stronger, than it had been just a couple hours earlier in his first pregame media availability since he was chosen to replace Tom Thibodeau. Saunders put an arm around Okogie, and the Timberwolves guard nodded along with him. By the end of that half, Saunders would claim a 119-117 win over the Thunder in his first game as a head coach Tuesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Saunders, 32, is not only the youngest…