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Time of India
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Thunder vs Timberwolves: Shai Gigeous-Alexander inspires a thunderous comeback to win Game 1
The Oklahoma City Thunder made a strong start to the Western Conference Finals with a 114-88 win over Minnesota Timberwolves on May 20, 2025. After trailing at half-time, the Thunder changed the game completely with a dominant and well-coordinated second-half performance in front of their home crowd. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points, including 20 after the break. His fourth straight 30+ point game in the playoffs showed just how important he is for OKC. Jalen Williams gave him solid support with 19 points, while Chet Holmgren added 15. SGA SHINES IN HIS WEST FINALS DEBUT 🌟⛈️ 31 PTS (league-leading 10th 25+ PT game of playoffs)⛈️ 9 AST⛈️ 5 REB⛈️ 3 STLThunder take a 1-0 series lead!! Timberwolves fade in second half The Timberwolves looked solid in the first two quarters. Julius Randle had a fast start and finished with 28 points. Minnesota were up 48-44 at the break, but they lost control quickly once the second half began. TEAM EFFORT FOR THE THUNDER IN GAME 1!!!THEY TAKE A 1-0 SERIES LEAD IN THE WEST FINALS ⛈️⛈️ Oklahoma City outscored them 70-40 in the final two quarters. Their defense tightened up and forced 17 turnovers, which they turned into 31 points. The Thunder also knocked down 52% of their three-pointers and shot 50% overall, making the most of every chance. Anthony Edwards was limited to just 18 points and found himself in foul trouble in the fourth quarter. Rudy Gobert also had a tough night, struggling with fouls and only scoring 5 points. Minnesota's shooting let them down, with just 35% from the field and under 30% from deep. JDUB DOES IT ALL IN GAME 1!!😤 19 PTS😤 8 REB😤 5 AST😤 5 STLA 4x5 for Jalen Williams and a 1-0 series lead for OKC 💪 It was a clear message from the Oklahoma City Thunder that they're ready for this high-stake stage. Their speed, ball movement and shot-making in the second half left the Timberwolves chasing shadows. Game 2 is on Thursday (May 22, 2025) in Oklahoma City, and the pressure is now on Minnesota to bounce back.
NBC Sports
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Thunder's defense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander overwhelm Timberwolves in second half to take Game 1 114-88
This felt like so many of Oklahoma City's games during the regular season. In particular, the 68 wins. The Thunder's elite pressure defense forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 31 points. Oklahoma City's defense took away the paint, giving up just 20 points on 43.5% shooting in the key. The Timberwolves tried to shoot over the top of it and that got them an early lead when they shot 8-of-19 to start the game, but the math caught up with them and Minnesota shot 7-of-32 (21.9%) the rest of the way. Then came the run. Sparked by that defense, the Thunder took the lead with a 10-0 run using their small-ball lineup in the third quarter. That was stretched out to 17-2 with Kenrich Williams hitting some big shots off the bench. By the start of the fourth, Oklahoma City was up by 10, 76-66, and they pulled away late. Then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, after a rough 2-of-13 first half, found his groove, shot 8-of-14 in the second half, drew fouls, and finished with a game-high 31 points. SGA scored or assisted on 20 points in the 3rd quarter. The Wolves had 18 points.@LegsESPN break down Shai's play in the 3Q 👀 The result was a comfortable 114-88 win at home, which has Oklahoma City up 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals. Game 2 is Thursday night in the same building. This defense is why Oklahoma City is the title favorite, holding Anthony Edwards to zero points in the fourth quarter and the Timberwolves team to a 92.6 offensive rating for the game. It's not just that the Thunder have elite defenders like Lu Dort and Alex Caruso, it's their teamwork — they can have two or three players swarming the ball trying to force a turnover, yet still seem not to leave anyone else open. By the end, the swarming defense had the Timberwolves hesitant and second-guessing before making a pass. That defense led to offense. WHAT a SEQUENCE for the THUNDER ⛈️ Dort defense on one end. Shai and-1 on the other. OKC LEADING LATE in GAME 1 of the WEST FINALS on ESPN!! Also in the second half, the Thunder started to get inside the Timberwolves' stout defense, which led to dunks and open 3-pointers. It was a rough night for Edwards, who picked up a foolish early technical for tossing the ball at Gilgeous-Alexander. Anthony Edwards tosses the ball at Shai. 🤣 (h/t @WolvesClips) Later in the first quarter, Edwards went back to the locker room after turning his ankle on a landing. Fortunately, he returned to the floor midway through the second quarter and looked like nothing had happened. Anthony Edwards went back to the locker room after turning his ankle on this play in Game 1. Julius Randle was Minnesota's offense in the first half scoring 20 points and shooting 5-of-6 from 3. Minnesota was an impressive 7-of-17 on above-the-break 3-pointers in the first half, but that dried up after the break. The Timberwolves' defense focused more on Randle, who scored eight points in the second half. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren came on in the second half for the Thunder, finishing with 19 and 15 points respectively. Edwards finished with 18 for Minnesota as only he and Randle scored in double figures.
