The Timberwolves are slowly running out of answers, adjustments and if this keeps up, games in the Western Conference Finals.

The best-of-seven series is 2-0, advantage Thunder, and unless Minnesota proves otherwise at home, the next time basketball will tip here at Paycom Center will be Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

For the second straight game, Oklahoma City appeared very much a No. 1 seed for a reason, seizing control for good in a lopsided third quarter and using their defense and depth — and of course, the freshly minted Kia MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — to put the Wolves in their place.

With the exception of a few scattered spurts over two games, the Thunder have been in control, dropping hints of this developing into a one-sided series. Any drama or suspense or at least a close finish must wait until Game 3 (Sat., 8:30 ET, ABC), or beyond, after OKC won the first two games by a combined 41 points.

OKC flirted with danger in the seven-game semifinals against the Nuggets, falling behind twice, but has yet to feel much tension here, where they’re a step closer to the Finals.

Here are five takeaways from OKC’s 118-103 win, with the next two games tipping at the Target Center in Minneapolis:

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As he raised the Michael Jordan Trophy high in the air prior to tipoff, his home fans raised their voices. Therefore, both the MVP award and the noise were simultaneously heard, loudly and certifiably, and they screamed — Shai sits on top of the hoop world.

Even better, the vibe continued through Game 2, just in case the Wolves weren’t convinced. Shai has dominated this series save for the first two quarters of Game 1, when he uncharacteristically couldn’t get shots to fall. No matter. Two nights after a bullish second half carried the Thunder to their first win, Shai was consistent throughout the follow-up. Much like he did in the regular season, his presence was felt at both ends — dropping middies on one side, poking the ball loose on the other.

“He came ready to play,” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. “He led with his approach, his force, his blend. Threw great passes, picked his spots … kept the scoreboard moving down the stretch.”

All told, his 38 points, eight assists and three steals loomed large in the victory. And that performance did something else — it kept him a level-up over Anthony Edwards. Wasn’t this series supposed to be about two young stars engaged in an arm-wrestle over the mythical face-of-the-league title? Well, that hasn’t materialized. And it may never.

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No team bum-rushed into this postseason with the force of the Wolves. Partly out of desperation, partly out of growth, the Wolves were the hottest team in the league when the playoffs began. They went 17-4 to finish the season, then breezed through the first two rounds of the playoffs winning eight of 10.

Welcome to adversity, finally.

They’ve now lost two straight, and Minnesota isn’t facing lesser competition anymore. No more breezy nights against the Jazz, no more Lakers or Stephen Curry-less Warriors. OKC is for real, and healthy, and bringing very few flaws in which to exploit. The Wolves will need to bring A-games to give themselves a chance, and that hasn’t happened yet.

Their response, starting with Game 3, will be telling. Can Edwards keep the foot on the gas, finally? Will Julius Randle bounce back? And really, what changes can coach Chris Finch make over the next 48 hours?

Their biggest need is a creative point guard. Mike Conley seems gassed at this stage of his career. And nobody off the bench brings a pass-first attitude, leaving it up to Edwards and a turnover-prone Randle to handle the ball and create for others. And OKC’s top-rated defense is wise to that.

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It happened — Randle went missing, not only through much of Game 2, but the fourth quarter when he never left the bench. Perhaps this was inevitable, perhaps he was due. In any event, it was an uncommon sight in these playoffs, witnessing Randle stammer and struggle through a game.

Actually, make that a game-and-a-half. Randle had a strong 20 points in the first half of Game 1, and hasn’t been the same since, just 14 points last six quarters after a tough night Thursday, where he had two field goals and four turnovers.

About sitting Randle for Naz Reid in the fourth, was it a lack of faith shown by Wolves coach Chris Finch?

“I thought Naz had a good game going, just wanted to see if I could spread the floor and get some quick decision making out there,” Finch said.

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Randle’s issues shed light on something even more troublesome for the Wolves. Their offense, or ability to generate points with efficiency, is mismatched against OKC’s defense.

When the ball is on that side of the court, OKC holds the advantage. Their defenders are opportunistic, attacking dribbles, using swift rotations to cover for double teams, poking at the ball and shutting down passing lanes.

This is heightened when the Wolves, outside of Edwards and Randle, search for buckets or another hot hand. They’re not built that way, which is the dirty little secret about this team. Minnesota is a grinding team that relies on defense and rebounding and Edwards to be a superstar. The Wolves rarely beat anyone in a high-scoring game.

So much weight is on such players as Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels to produce, and none are volume scorers. Through two games of this series, they haven’t always been reliable scorers, either.

Edwards had 16 of his 32 points in the first half, looked around for help in the second and couldn’t find it, aside from some too-little, too-late buckets by McDaniels (22 points) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17). Edwards had no choice to bring force and more shot attempts (22) after he produced a mild 18-point Game 1, just five in the second half.

“Edwards was loosened up,” said Daigneault. “Our guys took on that challenge. He really had to earn everything he got.”

It was a frustrating experience that boiled over when McDaniels shoved Shai to the floor midway through the fourth quarter, OKC up 16 points.

“I just wanted to foul him,” McDaniels said. “I wasn’t even mad. I just had fouls to use.”

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He struggled through much of the semifinals against the Nuggets and those nights proved costly for OKC, which was stretched to seven games.

Since then? Williams redeemed himself, and more. He had a strong Game 7 to help eliminate Denver, then for the second straight game supplied sublime efforts on both ends in the two victories over Minnesota.

On Thursday, he was good for 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists — and no turnovers. His energy was noticeable. He’s giving the Thunder exactly what they need, a capable co-star for Shai — a role in which Williams filled all season.

“He was really aggressive,” said Daigneault. “He chose the right spots to get to his spots and pull up, chose the right spots to attack the basket, found good passes. Great performance.”

Make that great performances, plural. Through two games of this series Williams has 45 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists and is still waiting to commit his first turnover against a very good Minnesota defense. Plus, six steals.

The Wolves have problems to solve, and he’s one of them.

Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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