Falling to the floor after absorbing contact from Jaden McDaniels, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander flipped the ball toward the bucket.
The ball rolled around the rim briefly before dropping through, then Gilgeous-Alexander converted the ensuing free throw about five minutes into the fourth quarter.
It was that kind of second half for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, who opened the Western Conference finals with a 114-88 home win Tuesday night.
After a rough first half, Gilgeous-Alexander took over in the second half, scoring 20 of his 31 points as Oklahoma City outscored the Timberwolves 70-40 after the break.
He also didn’t have a turnover in the second half.
Early on, the Timberwolves’ defense gave Gilgeous-Alexander fits, holding him to just 2-of-13 shooting in the first half.
“We didn’t panic,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We know if we stuck with it, they would eventually fall, and they did.”
It was Gilgeous-Alexander’s fourth consecutive game with 30 or more points and his eighth in 12 playoff games this season. He added a game-high nine assists.
Oklahoma City trailed by nine with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half before the Thunder closed on a 6-1 run to cut the deficit to four.
“To play as poorly offensively and not get knocked out was huge,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We lost the rounds, but we didn’t get knocked out.”
In the second half, Daigneault moved Gilgeous-Alexander off the ball, and it helped the likely Most Valuable Player find a rhythm.
Gilgeous-Alexander put up 12 points in the third quarter as Oklahoma City outscored Minnesota 32-18.
While Gilgeous-Alexander turned up the pressure on offense, it was the Thunder’s defense that played the biggest role in the victory.
Overall, Oklahoma City scored 31 points on 19 Timberwolves’ turnovers. Minnesota managed only 10 points off the Thunder’s 15 giveaways.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams produced 19 points and eight rebounds, while Chet Holmgren added 15 points and seven boards.
The Thunder shot 50 percent from the field and 11 of 21 (52.4 percent) from beyond the arc while holding Minnesota to just 34.9 percent from the floor and 15 of 51 (29.4 percent) from 3-point range.
“Our offense affected our defense,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “That can’t happen.”
Oklahoma City’s 21 3-point tries were its fewest of the season while the Thunder outscored Minnesota 54-20 in the paint.
Julius Randle led Minnesota with 28 points, scoring 20 in the first half. After going 5-for-6 in the first half on 3-point tries, Randle didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc in the second half.
“I didn’t see, necessarily, anything different,” Finch said of the difference in Randle after halftime. “That’s on me. I’ve got to get him the ball.”
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards wound up with 18 points and nine rebounds. He attempted just one shot, a miss, while playing seven minutes in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve definitely got to shoot more,” he said.
Edwards left the game after the first quarter with an apparent right ankle injury but returned five minutes into the second quarter.
–Field Level Media
