Class was in session. The Thunder took the Timberwolves to school.
Oklahoma City Thunder defenders clogged the paint, containing Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves usually high-powered offense in a blowout victory to open the Western Conference finals.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his game-high 31 points in the second half of the 114-88 win Tuesday at home in Oklahoma City. The Thunder held Edwards to 18 points on 5-13 shooting, including only five in the second half and a goose egg when it mattered most, in the fourth quarter.
“It was good to get it out of our system in Game 1,” Edwards told reporters. “We’ll be ready for it [the Thunder defense] in Game 2. We should be ready.”
“I definitely got to shoot more. I took 13 (expletive) shots, but I’ll say probably just get off the ball a little more,” Edwards said. “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 and figure it out.”
The Thunder outshot the Timberwolves by a wide margin, 50% to 34.9%, including a 52.4% to 29.4% edge from beyond the arc and that played a huge factor in the outcome. They held significant advantages of 54-20 in points in the paint, 12-0 in fast break points, 32-26 in bench points and 31-10 in points off turnovers.
Edwards and the Timberwolves got out of the gate on a 8-0 run and did not surrender the lead until the third quarter when they were outshot 61.9% to 35%. Game 1 featured nine lead changes and was tied six times.
The Timberwolves had a three-point lead, 23-20, going into the second quarter. Star forward Julius Randle poured in 14 over the next 12 minutes and the Timberwolves carried a 48-44 edge into the locker room.
“For us to play as poorly as we did offensively in the first half and be down four was a major victory for us at halftime,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
The Thunder earned their first lead of the night when forward Chet Holmgren hit a hook shot with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The lead went back and forth six more times in the frame. The Thunder trailed 60-56 with seven minutes left in the quarter but went on a 17-2 surge to take control.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the third quarter alone and the Thunder carried a 10-point lead, 76-66, into the fourth. They never trailed again.
Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down 8 of 14 field goal attempts in the second half after a rough 2-13 start.
“I didn’t particularly change my mindset, honestly,” he said, “I just tried to continue to be aggressive, trust my work.”
The Thunder outshot the Timberwolves 61.9% to 38.1% in crunch time to preserve their advantage. They also were on fire from downtown burying 6 of 8 3-pointers, compared to the Timberwolves’ 2 of 10 (20%) clip and forced five turnovers.
“It’s Game 1,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “They won at home. Congrats to them. They played really well. There’s another game in two days.”
Embed from Getty ImagesEdwards said the Thunder packed the paint, and he expects the Timberwolves to take advantage of that strategy going forward in the series.
“They bank on us not making shots, I guess, because every time I go to the rim it’s like four people,” he said. “So yeah, I guess they just be clogging the paint. They put like five, four bodies in the paint, make you kick it out. So, keep making the right play.”
Thunder forward and Gilgeous-Alexander’ Robin, Jalen Williams scored 19 points in the victory. Holmgren chipped in 15. Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 12 points. Randle totaled a team-high 28 points for the Timberwolves.
The Thunder will host the Timberwolves in Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Thursday in Oklahoma City. Game 3 will be on Saturday in the ‘Twin Cities’, Minneapolis.
