Crashing to the floor after contact from Jaden McDaniels, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander flung the ball toward the rim – and watched it drop in before calmly sinking the free throw five minutes into the fourth quarter.
That sequence captured the momentum shift, as Gilgeous-Alexander shook off a sluggish first half to score 20 of his 31 points after the break, powering the Oklahoma City Thunder to a dominant 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander was flawless in the second half – no turnovers, all control – as the Thunder outscored Minnesota 70-40 to take command.
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 knew 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 scored 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.
Oklahoma City scored 31 points off 19 Timberwolves turnovers. Minnesota managed only 10 points off the Thunder’s 15 giveaways.
Jalen Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, while Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points and seven boards.
The Thunder shot 50% from the field and 11 of 21 (52.4%) from beyond the arc, while holding Minnesota to just 34.9% overall and 15 of 51 (29.4%) from 3-point range.
“Our offense affected our defense,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “That can’t happen.”
Oklahoma City’s 21 3-point attempts 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 on 3-point attempts in the first half, Randle didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc in the second.
“I didn’t see, necessarily, anything different,” Finch said of Randle’s quiet second half. “That’s on me. I’ve got to get him the ball.”
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards finished 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.