After a cold first half and a 48-44 deficit, the Oklahoma City Thunder came alive in the second behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to blow out the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 and grab a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
SGA and Williams struggled early, combining to shoot just 4-for-21 before halftime in OKC’s lowest-scoring half of the season. But the duo flipped the script after the break. Down four midway through the third, Williams ignited a run with back-to-back buckets, followed by a pair from Gilgeous-Alexander to give OKC the lead. That spark turned into a 17-2 avalanche, capped by more from SGA, who dropped 20 of his 31 points after halftime.
By quarter’s end, OKC had flipped the game with a 32-18 third, powered by 21 combined from SGA and Williams. The Thunder never looked back, outscoring the Wolves 70-40 in the second half.
Williams finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals, becoming just the second Thunder player ever to post a 15-5-5-5 playoff line, joining Russell Westbrook. Chet Holmgren added 15 points, seven boards, and two blocks.
It marked SGA’s fourth straight 30-point game and his seventh this postseason with 30+ and 5+ assists, setting a new Thunder playoff record.
Anthony Edwards (18 pts) and Julius Randle (28 pts) led the Wolves, who will look to regroup before Game 2 in OKC on Thursday night (8:30 ET, ESPN).