Thunder Take Game 1: Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders Second-Half Dominance Leads Oklahoma City to Victory Over Minnesota Timberwolves

In the thrilling Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder demonstrated their depth as a team, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Oklahoma City. The Timberwolves played a solid first half, limiting the Thunder to 44 points and taking a four-point lead into the break. However, the Thunder dominated in the second half, riding a 10-0 run to a 14-point third-quarter advantage. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled early from the field against Minnesota's physical defense and double-teams, but he found his stroke after the break, shooting 8 of 14 and finishing with a game-high 31 points alongside 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. The interactions between Gilgeous-Alexander and Timberwolves' superstar Anthony Edwards set a chippy tone between the two, with Edwards receiving a technical foul for tossing the ball at Gilgeous-Alexander and being whistled for a personal foul in the third quarter. Julius Randle had a strong first half, pacing the Timberwolves offense with 20 points on a 5-for-6 effort from 3-point distance. However, he struggled in the second half, attempting just one field goal in the third quarter and making none. As Oklahoma City reeled off 32 points in the quarter, Minnesota scored just 18. Randle finished with 28 points and eight rebounds in the game but shot 9 of 13 from the field. The Thunder's depth proved to be too much for the Timberwolves as their bench dominated with key contributions from players like Darius Bazley and Al Horford. The Thunder's overall team effort and Gilgeous-Alexander's dominant performance in the second half helped them secure the victory and set the tone for the rest of the series.