The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by a scorching second-half performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rallied dramatically to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 on Tuesday, seizing a crucial 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference finals series.
A confident Minnesota side, seemingly primed for an upset against the top-seeded Thunder, dictated the pace for much of the first half, heading into halftime with a 48-44 advantage. Timberwolves power forward Julius Randle was particularly dominant, pouring in 20 first-half points to rattle the Thunder, who struggled to find their rhythm in front of their home crowd.
However, Oklahoma City roared back with a vengeance in the third quarter, outscoring Minnesota by a decisive 32-18 margin to establish a 76-66 lead going into the final period.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who had an uncharacteristically quiet first half with just 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting, ignited the Thunder’s comeback. The Canadian point guard, a strong contender for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, exploded for 12 points in the third quarter. Jalen Williams also contributed significantly with nine points, helping to keep Minnesota on the back foot.
Crucially, Oklahoma City’s defense intensified, effectively stifling Randle’s scoring production. Furthermore, Minnesota’s star Anthony Edwards was held scoreless in the entire fourth quarter, a testament to the Thunder’s defensive adjustments.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with an impressive 31 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. Williams added 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals, showcasing his all-around impact. Chet Holmgren chipped in with 15 points, and Isaiah Hartenstein added 12.
“Honestly, we were a bit rusty in the first half but we shouldn’t be,” Gilgeous-Alexander admitted in an on-court interview with ESPN. “We were missing layups, free throws. We just needed to keep being aggressive and trust our work. We got downhill, the layups started to fall and we started making our shots and we started getting stops defensively.”
Despite the commanding victory, Gilgeous-Alexander was quick to acknowledge that the best-of-seven series is far from over. “Game ones are feel-out games. In game two, they’re going to make adjustments and we’re gonna have adjustments. It’s a series and it’s best-of-seven, not first to one,” he stated. “It’s a good start but there’s a lot more work to do.”
For the Timberwolves, Randle led the scoring with 28 points, though only eight of those came in the second half. Edwards, who suffered an ankle scare during the game, concluded with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch attributed his team’s second-half collapse to a lack of patience on offense. “We didn’t have a lot of patience in the second half and then our offense didn’t get a bunch of quality looks and it affected our defense,” Finch explained. “And then when we did get good looks, they didn’t go down. Our offense affected our defense, and that can’t happen. When we got good looks, we couldn’t really connect when the game was kind of turning against us.”
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday, with the Thunder looking to extend their lead on home court.
