Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is in the books, and the Oklahoma City Thunder took care of business on their home floor Tuesday night with a commanding 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Oklahoma City, playing after a short turnaround following a seven-game Western Conference semifinal against the Denver Nuggets, stumbled out of the blocks early but managed to turn things around in the second half after trailing by four at the half. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-high 31 points for the Thunder. He also added nine assists and five rebounds in the win.
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But it was the Thunder’s defense — as has been the case throughout most of the year — that proved decisive on Tuesday. Oklahoma City held the Timberwolves to 34.9 percent shooting from the field and 29.4 percent from 3-point range.
On the latest episode of “The Athletic NBA Daily,” Zena Keita, Es Baraheni and Andrew Schlecht broke down Oklahoma City’s slow start and how they limited Minnesota by packing the paint and forcing them into turnovers. They also talked about how the Thunder capitalized on the Timberwolves’ man defense, as well as the effectiveness of their small-ball lineup — particularly in the fourth quarter.
Watch the full episode of “The Athletic NBA Daily” below or on the YouTube channel, or via the “The Athletic NBA Daily” podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
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