Thunder 114, Timberwolves 88: Thunder turn defense into offense, neutralizing the Timberwolves
After waiting four days to uncover a challenger for the right to represent the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves descend into Oklahoma City for a heavyweight fight against the number one-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The stage is set for a heavyweight showdown between two teams boasting depth and tenacity on defense.
The Timberwolves drew first blood behind Jaden McDaniels, who immediately gave the Thunder pause for their decision to leave him open. McDaniels captured the first five points of the conference finals before the Timberwolves' star duo of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle took over the reins.
Rudy Gobert picked up two early fouls to force the Timberwolves into smaller lineups. At the same time, Oklahoma’s offense was heavily subsidized by free throws early. The Timberwolves were quickly banished to an early bonus with over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Timberwolves' carelessness with the basketball quickly evaporated an early first-quarter lead, setting the tone for the dogfight most expected. The early foul trouble opened the door for Jalen Clark to take the court for his first meaningful minutes of the 2025 playoffs. The second-year wing wasted little time making an impact defensively on MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, stifling the dynamic guard to close the first quarter.
Anthony Edwards turned his ankle late in the first quarter, and while returning later in the game, he would start the 2nd quarter in the locker room. No need to fear, as Julius Randle is here. Employee #30 took over in the second quarter, pouring in 12 points to keep the Timberwolves' offense afloat.
While Randle was fueling the Timberwolves' Twitter on the offensive end, the half-court defense held up its end of the bargain as it suffocated the Thunder offense. Costly turnovers and several wide-open misses from deep kept the Thunder close, and the Timberwolves held onto a 48-44 lead at halftime.
The Timberwolves were cold from deep outside of Randle, and this trend continued out of the half as both teams battled to find their rhythm out of the break. Oklahoma City probed their way through Minnesota’s defense with Jalen Williams leading the charge. The first time All-Star was outstanding, propelling the Thunder offense while SGA settled into the half. The Timberwolves continued to manufacture great looks from deep, but the bricks kept mounting, and the Thunder continued their electric run. car
Anthony Edwards’ aggressiveness on SGA backstabbed the 23-year-old superstar, picking up his 4th foul in the waning minutes of the 3rd quarter as the Thunder’s offensive momentum continued to mount. OKC pulverized the ice-cold Timberwolves, winning the 3rd quarter 32-18.
Down 10 entering the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves traded buckets with the Thunder until Anthony Edwards, stuck on the bench with four fouls, could return to the game with just under nine minutes to go. The Timberwolves simply could not buy a bucket. They looked about as cold as an underdressed skier atop Lutsen Mountain as the Thunder cruised to a 114-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have taken a 1-0 series lead.
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Anthony Edwards did not score a single basket in the 4th quarter.
That alone could give away the final score.
You simply need more from the Timberwolves' number one option on the offensive end. Alex Caruso, who could probably tell you what Anthony Edwards had for breakfast, was outstanding pestering Ant-Man.
On the defensive end, Edwards delivered. He was sometimes overzealous, drawing four personal fouls before the end of the 3rd quarter. Overall, he was great covering both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
Coming into the series, OKC’s ability to force turnovers brought about genuine concern for a Timberwolves team with a proclivity for a casual handle on the ball.
The Timberwolves committed 17 turnovers in the game, stoking fears that a key weakness could crack the pillars supporting Minnesota’s title hopes. If the Timberwolves are to vanquish the Thunder, the decisions will need to come quicker, and the handle will need to tighten. You have to take care of the ball if you’re going to beat a team the caliber of Oklahoma.
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The Timberwolves shot 34.9 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from deep. That is not going to cut it against a team as good as the Thunder.
The primary focus of the Thunder’s defense tonight was to close down the paint and force Minnesota’s other players to make shots. If the Timberwolves can’t make wide-open looks, they will have yet another early exit from the Western Conference Finals.
Fortunately for Minnesota, if you can force the Thunder’s defense to spread out and protect the 3pt line, the driving lanes for Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle suddenly swing open.
Minnesota has to hit a higher percentage of its open shots. It’s a hard game to judge, given such a poor shooting performance from the supporting cast, but if you continue to allow the Thunder to show bodies in the paint, it will spell doom for the Timberwolves in this series.
The good news? It’s the best of SEVEN. Rest, adjust, and show up strong for game 2. You only have to steal one in Oklahoma to take away home-court advantage.
The series resumes on Thursday for Game 2 in Oklahoma City as the Wolves look to knot up the series at 1-1. The game begins at 7:30 PM CT, airing on ESPN.
