The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised yet again in the West Finals to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-103 and take a 2-0 series lead.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way after officially receiving the MVP trophy. He finished with 38 points, eight assists and three steals and was very efficient in doing so.
Oklahoma City’s “big three” came through in a big way in this one. Jalen Williams added 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while Chet Holmgren added 22.
Minnesota certainly looked more organized in this game and had more poise offensively than Game 1. It still wasn’t anywhere near enough. The Thunder took an eight-point lead into halftime and then outscored the Wolves 35-21 in the third quarter.
Anthony Edwards was aggressive throughout the game, finishing with 32 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. He couldn’t get his three-point shot to fall, though, making just one of his nine attempts.
The Wolves shot 11-for-39 (28.2 percent) from deep as a team. Julius Randle had his worst game of the postseason, finishing with just six points, five rebounds, five assists, and four turnovers. He shot just 2-of-11 from the field.
This has to be a concerning loss for the Wolves, trailing by eight at the half despite the Thunder shooting just 4-of-20 from three in the first half.
Where Will Wolves’ Answer Come From?
Down 2-0 and losing both games convincingly, there are plenty of questions the Wolves have to find answers to.
Gilgeous-Alexander is getting whatever he wants and the Thunder defense is absolutely imposing itself.
Minnesota will have to hope that some home cooking can alter the dynamic of the series. The role players, especially Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid have to be more impactful than they’ve been to this point.
The Wolves have no chance of opening up the paint for more attack opportunities without knocking down threes. They are a combined 26-of-90 (28.9 percent) through two games.
Game 3 will be Saturday at 8:30 p.m. EST.
