Shai Gilgeous-Alexander erupted in the second half to lead the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder to a 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night.
After a rough first half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his 31 points after the break, finishing 10-of-27 from the field and 11-of-14 from the line.
Minnesota held a 48-44 lead at halftime behind Julius Randle’s 20-point outburst, but the Thunder flipped the game with a dominant third quarter.
Oklahoma City opened the second half with a 10-0 run and outscored the Timberwolves 32-18 in the period to seize a 76-66 advantage entering the fourth.
Kenrich Williams sparked the bench with five quick points midway through the third, while Chet Holmgren added a spinning dunk through traffic to extend the lead to double digits.
Jalen Williams contributed 19 points and eight rebounds, while Holmgren added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Isaiah Hartenstein was effective inside with 12 points in under 20 minutes, and the Thunder bench combined for 32 points.
The Timberwolves, who entered the series well-rested after a week off, could not regain momentum after the Thunder’s third-quarter surge.
Randle, who led Minnesota with 28 points, was limited to just eight in the second half.
Anthony Edwards, who averaged 26.5 points in the playoffs prior to Tuesday, was held to 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting as Oklahoma City packed the paint defensively.
Minnesota shot just 34.9 percent from the field and made 15 of 51 three-point attempts, while Oklahoma City hit 50 percent overall and 11 of 21 from deep.
Donte DiVincenzo was 3-of-14 and missed nine of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc, and Naz Reid finished 1-for-11 from the field.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault got timely contributions from role players, including Alex Caruso, who scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting off the bench.
Oklahoma City dominated the glass with a 46-42 rebounding edge and recorded 27 assists to Minnesota’s 18.
The Thunder now lead the series 1-0, with Game 2 set for Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
