Another big Shai Gilgeous-Alexander game, another third-quarter run earns Thunder Game 2
Minnesota played better in Game 2.
Anthony Edwards was much more himself attacking downhill, he shot 8-of-12 in the paint on his way to 32 points for the night. In the first half, Minnesota's bench was 7-of-12 for 19 points, and as a team the Wolves hit nine 3-pointers before the break. Minnesota looked much improved, yet at the half the Timberwolves still had a 106.4 offensive rating (10 points below their season average) and trailed by 8.
Then in the third quarter the Thunder took control. Just like in Game 1. Their pressure defense forced five Timberwolves turnovers, OKC got 12 points off those and went on a 19-6 run, and by the end of three, Minnesota was down 22 and trying to play catch-up.
Cason ↗️
Chet ↘️
💥💥💥 https://t.co/xf5Q60djkc pic.twitter.com/iWfh6ht8qE
They couldn't. Minnesota got as close as 10, but the game was never in doubt, and the Timberwolves were more frustrated than anything.
Jaden McDaniels shoves Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pic.twitter.com/rSeG10BY8Y
' I just wanted to foul him for real. I wasn't even mad I just had fouls to use,' Jade McDaniels said of the foul, which was ruled a Flagrant 1.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked every bit the MVP with 38 points and eight assists and Oklahoma City held on for the 118-103 win.
Oklahoma City now has a 2-0 series lead, with Game 3 Saturday night in Minnesota.
Gilgeous-Alexander's 38 points was his fifth straight game with 30+ points these playoffs, becoming the only Thunder player to accomplish that (which is impressive and maybe a little surprising considering the Thunder's history and who came through there).
SHAI SHINES ON #KiaMVP CELEBRATION NIGHT!!
⚡️ 38 PTS
⚡️ 8 AST
⚡️ 3 STL
Receives the Michael Jordan trophy and takes a 2-0 series lead in the West Finals 🏆 pic.twitter.com/v2NWeZMT5K
From the opening tip, Minnesota's plan of attack was clear: Attack the rim to try and open things up, get 3-point attempts on kick outs (not settling for them as happened in Game 1). On those 3s the Timberwolves were 5-of-10 in the first quarter, keeping the game tight, despite shooting 3-of-14 inside the arc to open the game. The Timberwolves' ball movement was better. OKC starting the game 1-of-8 from 3 in the first quarter helped.
Things changed in the second half of the third quarter when Oklahoma City figured out the Minnesota zone, forced turnovers and went on the run that changed the game.
Jalen Williams finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Chet Holmgren added 22 points for OKC.
JDUB & CHET HELP SURGE the THUNDER to a 2-0 SERIES LEAD ⛈️
Jalen: 26 PTS | 10 REB | 5 AST
Chet: 22 PTS | 4 REB
Game 3: Saturday, 5/24 at 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/yw93IqRTAG
McDaniels finished with 22 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a strong game with 17 points off the bench.
Through two games, the Thunder have looked much the better team. Minnesota needs to find a way to flip that in 48 hours, or this series will be all but over.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
19 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Game 2: Thunder will try to tie up the NBA Finals, while Pacers will seek complete control of series
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will almost certainly reach a milestone on Sunday night. The reigning NBA MVP from the Thunder enters Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers just two points away from 3,000 for the season, including the regular season and playoffs. That's a total that has been reached 24 other times in league history — 10 by Michael Jordan, five by Wilt Chamberlain and once by nine other players. Gilgeous-Alexander would be the 12th to reach the milestone. But there's a bigger milestone that Gilgeous-Alexander would like to get Sunday as well: His first finals win. That'll be his only priority in Game 2. 'I said this so many times, I don't play for the individual stuff,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I don't play for anything else besides winning. I never have in my whole life.' The Thunder, the NBA's top overall seed entering the playoffs after going 68-14 in the regular season, lost Game 1 to the Pacers on Thursday night 111-110 — and with it, lost the home-court advantage in this series as well. If the Pacers win Game 2, they'll likely become overwhelming favorites. Only two teams — the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets — won the first two games of a finals on the road, and both went on to win the NBA title in those seasons. And teams that open the finals with a 2-0 lead go on to win the series 86.5% of the time (32 times in 37 chances). 'The journey to get here all year has not been about getting to the finals,' Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'It's a day at a time, especially after the start of the year. And it's hard — we have social media and friends and family that tell us all the numbers of if you can win the two games at home, whatever it will look like, or on the road or whatever the case.' The series will shift to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday. ___ AP NBA: recommended
Associated Press
27 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Game 2: Thunder will try to tie up the NBA Finals, while Pacers will seek complete control of series
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will almost certainly reach a milestone on Sunday night. The reigning NBA MVP from the Thunder enters Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers just two points away from 3,000 for the season, including the regular season and playoffs. That's a total that has been reached 24 other times in league history — 10 by Michael Jordan, five by Wilt Chamberlain and once by nine other players. Gilgeous-Alexander would be the 12th to reach the milestone. But there's a bigger milestone that Gilgeous-Alexander would like to get Sunday as well: His first finals win. That'll be his only priority in Game 2. 'I said this so many times, I don't play for the individual stuff,' Gilgeous-Alexander said. 'I don't play for anything else besides winning. I never have in my whole life.' The Thunder, the NBA's top overall seed entering the playoffs after going 68-14 in the regular season, lost Game 1 to the Pacers on Thursday night 111-110 — and with it, lost the home-court advantage in this series as well. If the Pacers win Game 2, they'll likely become overwhelming favorites. Only two teams — the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets — won the first two games of a finals on the road, and both went on to win the NBA title in those seasons. And teams that open the finals with a 2-0 lead go on to win the series 86.5% of the time (32 times in 37 chances). 'The journey to get here all year has not been about getting to the finals,' Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said. 'It's a day at a time, especially after the start of the year. And it's hard — we have social media and friends and family that tell us all the numbers of if you can win the two games at home, whatever it will look like, or on the road or whatever the case.' The series will shift to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday. ___ AP NBA:
USA Today
32 minutes ago
- USA Today
NBA Finals Game 2 expert picks for Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
NBA Finals Game 2 expert picks for Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Show Caption Hide Caption Thunder's panic meter after Game 1 The Thunder's Game 1 collapse was wild. How concerned should Oklahoma City be going into Game 2? The For The Hoops crew gives a panic meter rating on a scale of 1 to 10. The NBA Finals pick up again Sunday, June 8, after a two-day layoff which has given fans the opportunity to dissect and debate Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning shot from every angle. On the heels of the Indiana Pacers' shocking 111-110 comeback victory in Game 1, the Oklahoma City Thunder play host again in Game 2 (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Thunder coach Mark Daigenault has said he won't reveal his plan for the starting lineup after changing his postseason strategy for Game 1, going with extra guard Cason Wallace and one big man in Chet Holmgren, leaving center Isaiah Hartenstein to come off the bench. Holmgren had a disappointing NBA Finals debut, scoring just six points, but Indiana coach Rick Carlisle has warned he expects the third-year forward/center to be more aggressive this time around. USA TODAY Sports' experts make their NBA Finals Game 2 picks for the Indiana Pacers vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder: NBA Finals Game 2 predictions
