On a night in which he hoisted the NBA MVP trophy for the first time, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved why he earned the honor in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 38 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to another convincing win Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This time it was a 118-103 Thunder at Paycom Center as OKC cruised to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Game 3 is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Target Center in Minneapolis.
Jalen Williams added 26 points and Chet Holmgren added 22 for the Thunder.
Anthony Edwards scored 32 points on 12-for-26 shooting to lead the Timberwolves.
Thunder vs Timberwolves live score updates in Game 2 of NBA Playoffs
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McDaniels’ foul has been upgraded to Flagrant 1. Double techs on Dort and Reid.
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle caught a pass over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was fronting Randle in the post.
The problem for Randle? He never saw Lu Dort coming.
Dort sprinted in and stripped Randle, leading to a Thunder fastbreak that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paid off with a circus-shot and-1.
An Alex Caruso layup on OKC’s next possession pushed the Thunder’s lead up to 11 — tying its largest lead of the game.
The lead got bigger. The building got louder.
When Cason Wallace flipped a lob to Chet Holmgren, who flushed it home, Paycom Center reached dangerous levels of loud.
The Thunder won the quarter 35-21. It won the third quarter of Game 1 32-18.
—Joe Mussatto, Columnist
That Thundery run you’ve come to expect just happened. A Cason 3, followed by a Cason lob to Chet, who seemingly swung from a branch to grab it with two hands the way he did, topped it off. 14-2 OKC run.
—Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
Felt like a better quarter for MIN — started 8 for 12, shot 50% — and yet, after some late Shai scoring, it finished the same way as the 1st: with the Thunder winning the period 29-25. SGA dictating so much. Wolves forcing OKC to shoot more jumpers and OKC still 18/24 on 2s.
—Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
The Thunder’s struggles from behind the arc have returned.
After hitting 11-of-21 shots from 3-point range in the series opener, Oklahoma City goes to halftime having hit just 4 of 20 from deep. No Thunder has hit more than one and nine have missed at least one.
Stil, the Thunder added to its lead in the second quarter because it is hitting a crazy high amount of shots inside the arc.
OKC is 18 of 24 on twos.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads all scorers with 19 points on the night he received his MVP trophy.
Anthony Edwards leads the Wolves with 16 points.
—Jenni Carlson, Columnist
Chris Paul spend the 2019-20 season leading the Thunder as the starting point guard and mentoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
OKC has left Minnesota with a very tough ultimatum early: skip pass your way into the best 3 possible, or finish over the top of Chet. Wolves are 10 for 28. They’ve also got seven O boards. SGA playmaking fully on display. The post-MVP tear is real.
—Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
Former Thunder big man Kendrick Perkins is back in OKC with ESPN.
Everyone on the court needs to prepare for a physical series. Apparently, that includes the officials.
Less than two minutes into the first quarter, Lu Dort elevated for a jump ball. When he came down, he accidentally swiped the face of crew chief Scott Foster.
That gave Foster a nose bleed, and the game was paused for a few minutes while he was checked out. But once the bizarre break in the action concluded, OKC established early control of the contest.
The Thunder claimed a 29-25 lead. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren scored eight points apiece, while Jalen Williams chipped in six points.
—Justin Martinez, Staff writer
Referee Scott Foster was bleeding from his nose after getting accidentally hit in the face by Thunder guard Lu Dort on a jump ball.
One of the most bizarre stoppages I’ve ever witnessed, honestly.
—Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just a kid when he watched one of his idols, the late Kobe Bryant, receive “MVP” chants while at the free-throw line.
He then went outside of his home in Hamilton, Ontario, immediately after the game. And, without a supporter in sight, he chanted “MVP” to himself while shooting.
The thought of one day becoming the NBA’s Most Valuable Player is a dream for many young hoopers. But for Gilgeous-Alexander, it was a vision. And on Thursday, before OKC hosted Minnesota in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, it became a reality.
Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the MVP award in front of a packed Paycom Center crowd. And while he didn’t give a speech, he didn’t need to.
The “MVP” chants from the crowd did all the talking.
—Justin Martinez, Staff writer
Anthony Edwards stepped onto the floor for pregame warmups with a grin.
It was a rare sight for the Timberwolves star inside Paycom Center.
The mood was notably lighter than it had been just days earlier. In the aftermath of Minnesota’s lopsided Game 1 loss, Edwards’ frustration boiled over — and it cost him. Literally.
The NBA fined Edwards $50,000 for his postgame remarks, in which he vented, ‘I only took 13 f—ing shots’” after finishing with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting. The performance came after he tweaked his ankle early in the game, visibly hampering his usual burst and aggression.
Still, the three-time All-Star hasn’t lost confidence in himself or his team. Neither has his coaching staff.
“I think he’ll be prepared — he tries to be super aggressive every single night,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said.
“I thought he did a good job the other day of finding his teammates and they knocked down some shots. There are opportunities for him to be more aggressive for himself, and that’s how he’s wired anyway. So it usually never takes much to recalibrate.”
—Jordan Davis, Staff writer
- Date: Thursday, May 22
- Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
- Where: Paycom Center in OKC
The Thunder vs Timberwolves game starts at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Where to watch Thunder vs Timberwolves tonight in NBA Playoffs?
- TV: ESPN
- How to watch online: Fubo (free trial)
- Radio: WWLS 98.1 FM
The Thunder vs Timberwolves game will be broadcast on ESPN. It can be streamed on Fubo and ESPN+.
Western Conference finals: Thunder vs. Timberwolves
- Game 1: Thunder 114, Timberwolves 88 | Box score
- Game 2: Minnesota at OKC | 7:30 p.m. Thursday (ESPN)
- Game 3: OKC at Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC)
- Game 4: OKC at Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 26 (ESPN)
- Game 5 (If necessary): Minnesota at OKC | 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28 (ESPN)
- Game 6 (If necessary): OKC at Minnesota | 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 30 (ESPN)
- Game 7 (If necessary): Minnesota at OKC | 7 p.m. Sunday, June 1 (ESPN)
Thunder vs. Timberwolves betting odds
Odds via BetMGM as of Wednesday, May 21
Odds: Thunder by 7.5
Over/under: 214.5
Moneyline: OKC -300 | Minnesota +240
Thunder vs. Timberwolves prediction, picks
Justin Martinez: OKC 117, Minnesota 109
OKC’s offense has gone through ups and downs this postseason, but its defense has been elite. The Thunder boasts a defensive rating of 100.7, which ranks first among the 16 playoff teams. It also ranks first in opponent field goal percentage (40.7%), opponent 3-point percentage (31%), steals per game (10.8), turnovers forced per game (18.3) and points off turnovers per game (25.3). OKC’s defense should continue to cause problems for Minnesota, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can deliver buckets on offense when it matters most. Give me the Thunder at home.
Thunder vs. Timberwolves injury updates
Thunder: Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is out.
Timberwolves: None.
Thunder vs. Timberwolves highlights in Game 2 of Western Conference finals
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