Wolves' season over after Game 5 loss to Thunder in Western Conference finals
Timberwolves vs Thunder Game Highlights
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-88 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Thunder Top Performers Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – 31 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists 8 of his 12 games this postseason has scored 30+ PTS Jalen Williams – 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals (playoff career-high) Outscored the Timberwolves, 70-40 in 2H (70 PTS | 26-42 FGM (61.9%) | 8-13 3PM (61.5%)) Shot 11-21 3PM (52.4%) Timberwolves Top Performers Julius Randle – 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 3PM (playoff career-high) Anthony Edwards – 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists The Oklahoma City Thunder now lead the best-of-seven series, 1-0 with Game 2 taking place on Thursday, May 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Notable Stats Jalen Williams joins Russell Westbrook (4x) as the only players in Oklahoma City Thunder franchise history to record 15+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 5+ steals in a playoff game After tonight's game, the Thunder have now totaled 296 PTS off TO in their 12 Playoff games this run. Their CURRENT 24.7 per game average is the highest ever since tracking beginning in the 1998 Playoffs (Pre. 2007 GSW: 24.6 per game). Reminder: The Thunder set the highest PTS off TO mark since tracking (pxp era) in the regular season with 21.8 per game, surpassing the SAME 2006-07 Warriors previous mark of 21.5 per contest.
1:25
Now Playing
Paused
Ad Playing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
30 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
‘We have been here before.' Thunder players try to look ahead in aftermath of painful Game 1 loss
OKLAHOMA CITY — 'It sucks, but we have been here before.' Jalen Williams' summation of Oklahoma City's gut-punch Game 1 loss — where the Thunder led until Tyrese Haliburton's shot with 0.3 on the clock — summed up the postgame mood of the Thunder. HALIBURTON WINS GAME 1 FOR THE PACERS. THEY TRAILED BY 15. ANOTHER CRAZY INDIANA COMEBACK 🚨 Disappointed? Absolutely. However, the Thunder dropped Game 1 at home to Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets in the second round and came back to win that series in seven games. After Haliburton's shot, OKC players drew on that experience and how they had turned things around. 'We played good enough to win that game, controlled it for the most part. Was up double-digits most of that game, as well,' Alex Caruso said of the Game 1 loss to Denver. 'Then they made some big shots. We made a couple mistakes down the stretch to give them free throws. There's some similar stuff from that. I think moving forward, the mentality of this team is good.' The Thunder's postgame vibes flowed from their leaders. 'The biggest experience we've had is understanding that every game's a new game,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'The most important game of the series is always the next one, regardless of the outcome… Would've liked to get the game, but need to be a better game in Game 2.' 'The series isn't first to one, it's first to four,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'We have four more games to get, they have three. That's just where we are. We got to understand that and we got to get to four before they get to three, if we want to win the NBA championship. It's that simple. It's not rocket science. We lost Game 1. We have to be better.' The other postgame theme from the Thunder's perspective was that they lost the game more than the Pacers took it from them. 'It sounds weird — it wasn't like they won the game, but I feel like we lost the game,' Isaiah Hartenstein said, speaking for a lot of Thunder players. 'There was a lot of things where it was closeouts, executing and slowing down the pace a little too much at the end.' 'We lost the game. I thought we played good enough to win. We just didn't finish the game,' Caruso said. 'Credit to them, that's how they've played for the whole post-season. They kind of strayed true to themselves, their brand of basketball. They threw in a couple big shots down the stretch.' The team's mantra seemed to be 'it's just one game.' 'It counts the same as when we lost by 40 in Minnesota in the last series. Counts the same as when we lost by two or three at Denver Game 3 that series. It's all worth one,' Caruso said. Game 2 is Sunday in Oklahoma City. Drop that one and the postgame mood from the Thunder may be very different.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Steve Nash breaks down the Thunder's principles that make them an elite defensive team: "They keep that paint area a no-go zone"
Steve Nash breaks down the Thunder's principles that make them an elite defensive team: "They keep that paint area a no-go zone" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Steve Nash did not have a reputation as a good defender, but he knows an elite defense when he sees one. In the latest episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast, the two-time MVP raved about the Oklahoma City Thunder's defensive philosophies and explained how these fundamental principles make the court a living hell for their opponents. Advertisement "They're a 'pack the paint' team; they want to keep you out of the paint," Nash said. "So, for the fan, if a guy drives from the wing middle, typically in our league, we wanna show body and stunt because we don't wanna give up a three or create a rotation. OKC, they will show full-body help to keep it out of the paint, especially for the primary initiator. They give a full-body rotation, which leaves weakness on the back side. So, the guy from the corner… who's an athlete, flies to the corner." "I think what they do is pack the paint, they give up threes, but they give up contested threes. Hard contests, flying at guys. It gets dark; you think you're wide open, before you know it, it's like, 'Ah!'" the Hall of Famer added. AC embodies that philosophy As "MVSteve" mentioned, these principles work for the Thunder because of their personnel. They could employ multiple 3-and-D guys at once, and they all buy into the team's defensive philosophy. Nobody personifies the Thunder mantra as well as Alex Caruso, as LeBron James could attest. Advertisement "One of my favorite plays from their clincher (in the Western Conference Finals), AC was guarding the ball on the left wing… Anthony Edwards was able to get middle… but AC, he went middle, and there was a guy that helped at the nail. Full body help at the nail and made Anthony Edwards get off it. He hit the guy on the wing, and there was a defender on the corner, and he rotated all the way to take away that shot on the wing," James recalled. The nail is literally the spot in the middle of the free-throw line. OKC usually has a guy posted there to prevent drives to the paint, and in this scenario, another Thunder defender was helping Caruso in his "Ant-Man" assignment. As James remembered, another OKC defender came flying at the open guy on the wing, which prompted an immediate reaction from the "Bald Mamba." "Instead of AC just standing and watching, he ran through to the corner. Julius Randle actually made this three, but the percentages when it comes to this effort, they're gonna win that percentage," stated "The Chosen One." Related: "Shaq, I'm from the Balkans, you cannot haze me so hard, I've seen everything" - Goran Dragic recalls how he survived Shaquille O'Neal's rookie treatment "No-go zone" From Nash and James' viewpoints, OKC's defensive philosophy and their personnel's commitment to bringing this to life took them this far, with a chance to win the Larry O'Brien trophy. Again, there are nuances in play, but it's fundamental basketball that fans should enjoy watching. Advertisement "For the fan to recognize, they're gonna keep you out of the paint. They're gonna allow you to take threes, but they're gonna fly out and be on a string and contest those threes. I love that principle… they keep that paint area a no-go zone. To me, that's a commitment, that's a clarity," said one of the best pure point guards ever. The exciting thing about the 2025 NBA Finals is that the Indiana Pacers are not a team that lives in the paint. They move the rock around and play the closeout game extremely well. As many NBA experts have noticed, their ball movement could theoretically test the Thunder's defensive commitment. Whether that movement leads to breakdowns or just more contested jumpers will be a chess match to watch. Related: "It would put him in the conversation of top-five point guards of all-time" - Ric Bucher on what if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins 2025 Finals MVP This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
After Game 1 stunner, Tyrese Haliburton understands Pacers stole win from Thunder
After Game 1 stunner, Tyrese Haliburton understands Pacers stole win from Thunder They did it again. After their postgame interview, the Indiana Pacers raced off the court to their locker room. As if they were bank robbers hopping into the getaway vehicle with seconds to spare before being surrounded by police cars. The Oklahoma City Thunder were left stunned. They suffered a 111-110 Game 1 loss to the Pacers. Indiana's lead only lasted 0.3 seconds, but the final score is what matters. For the first 47 minutes, it looked like the significant title favorite would do just enough to get a 1-0 series lead in the 2025 NBA Finals. Nope. Not under Tyrese Haliburton's watch. He added to his legendary playoff run with another game-winner. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander failed to bury the Pacers with a missed mid-range jumper, the Pacers raced to the other side in the final seconds. Matched up against Cason Wallace, Haliburton buried the deep 2-pointer that gave the Pacers their first and only lead. After the final buzzer sounded, the OKC crowd filed out. You could feel the funeral vibes. Not only did the Thunder leave meat on the bone, they left a whole steak. This is what the Pacers have done all playoffs. Improbable comebacks. Haliburton's heroics. They showed that just because they graduated from the Eastern Conference to one of the greatest teams ever, doesn't mean those late-game stunners would stop. Minutes after they stole Game 1, Haliburton joked his shoes helped him complete the comeback. He only had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. But he scored the two most important points of the game with his game-winner. "All series that's what we have preached as a group is when we get down big, let's just find a way to incrementally get it down and we got it to 15 and we got it to eight pretty fast and that gave us confidence," Haliburton said. "We kept getting stops. Myles and Andrew made play after big play down the stretch." The Thunder played with fire all game and were burned at the end. Throughout the first three quarters, the scoreboard never reflected the vibes. The Thunder dominated on the court. They created turnovers on every other possession, but their lead only hovered around 10 points. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pushed OKC's lead to 108-99 with a little under three minutes left, it felt the Thunder did just enough to get a gross Game 1 win. Instead, the Pacers finished on a 12-2 run. Indiana's role players hit on big-time shots. Andrew Nembhard looked like prime Allen Iverson when he shook Gilgeous-Alexander off of him and nailed a step-back 3-pointer. After being viewed as a heavy title favorite, the Thunder have work to do. They're in a 0-1 series hole and have lost homecourt advantage. They can recount their Denver Nuggets Round 2 series all they want, but the Pacers are a different threat. They're indestructible. Their best trait is their ability to stay within striking distance. Even after his game-winner, Haliburton said they must play better. He quickly understood they stole Game 1. If you replayed the final three minutes, the Thunder likely would squeeze out a win in 99 out of 100 simulations. That doesn't make it sting any less for OKC, though. You don't win titles in hypotheticals. "There's still a lot of work to be done. This is an exciting time. Again, another big comeback but there's a lot more work to do. That's just one game," Haliburton said. "And this is the best team in the NBA and like you said, they don't lose often. So we expect them to respond. We've got to be prepared for that. We got a couple days to watch film, see where we can get better."
