Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t at his usual best — until it mattered the most.
SGA bucked a cold start to fire 31 points as the OKC Thunder flipped the switch in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-88, seizing Game 1 of their West Finals showdown, Wednesday (PH time), May 21.
ALL THUNDER IN GAME 1 ??
— ESPN (@espn) May 21, 2025
OKC takes the series lead over Minnesota in the Western Conference finals!
Gilgeous-Alexander turned the corner in the second half after missing 11 of his first 13 shots. The MVP frontrunner scored 20 markers alone in the final two quarters and finished with seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals.
SHAI GETS THE BUCKET & FOUL 💪💪
— NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2025
Thunder end the 3Q on a 20-6 run & lead by 10 entering the fourth ??
MIN-OKC | West Finals Game 1 | ESPN
The Thunder used a dominant third quarter to carry a 76-66 cushion over the Timberwolves entering the fourth. SGA and Jalen Williams combined to score 20 of the team's 32 points in that period, outscoring the entire Minnesota team (19 points).
SGA WITH THE STEAL.
— NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2025
JDUB WITH THE SMOOTH MOVE TO THE LAYUP.
Caps off a 10-0 Thunder run in Game 1 👀 pic.twitter.com/HbHUkadKW3
It was all Oklahoma City from that point on, leading by as many as 26 points in the fourth en route to picking up their first win in a West Final stage since their Game 4 against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Williams chipped in 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals while the Thunder big man duo of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren combined to drop 27 markers.
CASON WALLACE ?? JALEN WILLIAMS
— NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2025
THE THUNDER ARE STORMING AHEAD IN GAME 1!!#NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google on ESPN
Game 2 of the series is scheduled on Friday (PH time), May 23 with the Thunder aiming for a 2-0 series lead.
Meanwhile, Julius Randle paced the Timberwolves with 28 points in a losing effort.
Randle fizzled out after a strong first half which saw him drop 20 markers built on a playoff career-high five threes.
Anthony Edwards added 18 points of his own, but he went scoreless in the final frame. Edwards went to the locker room after rolling his ankle in the closing moments of the opening quarter, but returned with seven minutes left in the second frame.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]
