The Oklahoma City Thunder crushed the Timberwolves 114-88 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, fueled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s stellar performance and strong team support.
The Oklahoma City Thunder came out swinging in the Western Conference Finals, taking a 1-0 series lead with a dominant 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night at Paycom Center.
As he’s done all season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge. The MVP frontrunner poured in 31 points along with nine assists, five boards, and three steals—igniting a second-half surge that buried Minnesota.
Of course, it wasn’t just a one-man show. Jalen Williams delivered an all-around gem with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals, while Chet Holmgren chipped in with 15 points, seven boards, and a couple of big-time blocks.
On the other side, Anthony Edwards had 18 points and nine rebounds, while Julius Randle lit it up with 28 points, eight boards, and five threes—but it wasn’t nearly enough. The Thunder overwhelmed them, and social media was quick to take notice. With OKC now sitting at -750 to win the series on FanDuel, fans are starting to believe this might be their year.
Coming into Game 1, things felt pretty even. OKC had the edge as the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage, but Minnesota came in fresher after wrapping up their series against the Warriors last Wednesday. The Thunder, meanwhile, had just grinded out a seven-game battle with the Nuggets on Sunday.
Early on, the Timberwolves were hit with a scare when Edwards left with an apparent ankle injury, but he was back on the court in the second quarter. His return seemed to energize the team, especially Randle, who was on fire from deep and helped give Minnesota a four-point lead at the half.
Defensively, the Timberwolves made things tough for SGA early, hounding him with length and double teams that held him to just 2-of-13 shooting before the break.
But let’s be real—SGA was always going to respond.
He came out in the third and flipped the game on its head. OKC closed the quarter on a 20-6 run, with Gilgeous-Alexander lighting it up from midrange, finishing tough and-1 plays, and setting up teammates like Williams as Minnesota’s defense scrambled.
The pressure didn’t stop there. SGA and Williams turned up the heat defensively, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace. Then Holmgren took the baton in the fourth, knocking down a triple and throwing down multiple dunks that sealed the deal.
This win showed just how lethal the Thunder can be—SGA doing MVP things, and his teammates stepping up in a big way when it mattered most.
With that kind of depth and momentum, it’s no shock that OKC is now the championship favorite at -240. The Knicks (+550), Pacers (+850), and Timberwolves (+900) are all chasing.
Game 2 goes down Thursday night, and the Thunder will look to keep the foot on the gas in front of their home crowd.
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