The Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 to earn a statement win at home in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Minnesota ended a hard-fought but shoddy first half with a four-point lead, but a second-half blitz from the Thunder, who outscored their opponents by 30 points across the third and fourth quarters, blew the Timberwolves away.
After a rough start offensively – a theme throughout the team – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the second half to lead the Thunder to the win, also adding five rebounds, nine assists and three steals.
“We try to play to our identity,” Gilgeous-Alexander, who missed 11 of his 13 shots in the first half, told reporters. “We did a good job of that on defense. Our defense definitely gave us life early in the game and kept us in it.
“I was just out there being aggressive, trying to get to my spots; obviously, it wasn’t falling like it usually does and I would like it to, but that’s part of the game.
“Nothing really changed in my mindset (in the second half). I just tried to continue to be aggressive, continue to trust my work and it worked out for me.”
OKC coach Mark Daigneault said it was a “major victory” to only be down by four points at the break after such a poor first half from his team.
“The defense was a huge catalyst in that,” he added. “I just thought it took us a second to calibrate to the opponent, but our defense allowed us the margin to do that.”
Jalen Williams, who continues his rapid NBA ascension, had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Chet Holmgren added 15 points.
The Thunder’s relentless defense stifled the Timberwolves, especially in the second half, and limited Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards to a meager 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Julius Randle continued his impressive postseason form with a team-high 28 points – including 5-of-6 from three – to go with eight rebounds, though he scored just eight of those points in the second half.
“I definitely got to shoot more,” Edwards said postgame. “I took 13 f**king shots, but I’ll say probably just get off the ball a little more. Play without the ball.
“I think that would be the answer because, playing on the ball, they’re just going to double and sit in the gaps all day. So I’ve got to go watch some film and take it apart – we’ll figure it out.”
With less than a minute remaining in the first quarter, Edwards was forced to head to the locker room for treatment after rolling his right ankle on a drive to the basket.
However, he returned and played the rest of the game, telling reporters that it didn’t affect him in the second half.
Game 2 will be played in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
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