Thunder Dominate Timberwolves in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals
In a thrilling start to the Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Minnesota Timberwolves with a solid 114-88 victory on Tuesday night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of the show, scoring 31 points, with a whopping 20 of those coming in the second half. I mean, talk about stepping up when it counts!
Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s in the running for MVP, also dished out nine assists and shot 8 of 14 from the field after halftime. On the flip side, Minnesota's Julius Randle put up 28 points but struggled in the second half, only managing eight. Anthony Edwards, who had been on fire with an average of 26.5 points per game in the playoffs, was held to just 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Ouch!
It’s worth noting that Oklahoma City was fresh off a Game 7 win against Denver just two days prior, while Minnesota had been sitting idle since May 14. You could definitely see the difference in momentum.
At halftime, Minnesota was leading 48-44, thanks to Randle’s impressive 20 points, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. But the Thunder came out swinging in the third quarter, going on a 10-0 run to take a 66-60 lead. Kenrich Williams, who hasn’t seen much action this postseason, hit a midrange jumper and a three-pointer in quick succession, pushing the Thunder’s lead to 71-62. They outscored the Timberwolves 32-18 in that quarter, heading into the fourth with a 76-66 advantage.
Things got even more exciting when Chet Holmgren threw down a spinning dunk that had the crowd buzzing. Gilgeous-Alexander, while being fouled and falling to the floor, managed to toss up a shot that rolled in, plus he hit the free throw to extend the lead to 91-77 with seven minutes left. The Thunder are looking strong, and Game 2 is set for Thursday in Oklahoma City. Can the Timberwolves bounce back? We’ll see!
