The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves opened the NBA Western Conference Finals on Tuesday. The Thunder blew out the Timberwolves 114-88 in Game 1 at the Paycom Center. Oklahoma City leads the series 1-0.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Recap
The Oklahoma City Thunder ruled out Nikola Topic with a partially torn left ACL. The Thunder’s starting lineup featured Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ injury report was empty. The Timberwolves’ starting lineup featured Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert.
The first quarter saw the Timberwolves’ fast start. The Thunder constantly converted defense into offense. The Timberwolves led 23-20 after the first quarter. The second quarter witnessed the Timberwolves’ first score. Both teams suffered from slow starts but sped up. The Timberwolves took a 48-44 lead into halftime.
The third quarter saw the Thunder’s red-hot start. The Thunder were out of challenges but went on a 15-2 run. The Thunder led 76-66 after three quarters. The fourth quarter witnessed both teams’ slow starts, but both teams poured in the points. The Thunder won 114-88 in regulation.
Thunder vs. Timberwolves Stat Lines
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder with 31 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Williams followed with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Holmgren added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Hartenstein had 12 points and five rebounds. Alex Caruso scored nine points and three rebounds.
Randle led the Minnesota Timberwolves with 28 points, eight rebounds, and one assist. Edwards followed with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Donte DiVincenzo added nine points, one rebound and two assists. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had eight points and two rebounds. Mike Conley scored seven points, three rebounds and three assists.
Final Thoughts
Most recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Denver Nuggets 125-93 at the Paycom Center in Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals on Sunday. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points, three rebounds and four assists, while Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Oklahoma City won the series 4-3.
Previously, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Golden State Warriors 121-110 at the Target Center in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals on Wednesday. Randle led the Timberwolves with 29 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Minnesota won the series 4-1.
