THE Oklahoma Thunder showed no signs of fatigue, pulling away in the second half to defeat the well-rested Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-88, in Game 1 of their Western Finals showdown on Wednesday (Philippine time), May 21.

Oklahoma only had two days of rest to prepare for Minnesota and for a while, fatigue looked like an issue when it played catch-up in the early goings.

Coming off a one-week rest, Minnesota clicked in the first half, where they led by as many as nine points before settling for a 48-44 lead at the break.

The Thunder then struck in the third quarter, launching a 10-0 run to take a 66-60 lead. There was no stopping Oklahoma from that point on, ending the third with a 76-66 lead before leading by as many as 26 points in the final period.

Shai Gilegous-Alexander topped the Thunder with 31 points, 20 coming in the decisive second half Oklahoma attack. Jalen Williams pitched in 19 points while Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 15 and 12, respectively.

Julius Randle led the Wolves with 28 points but only made eight in the second half. Anthony Edwards chipped in 18 points, eight points short of his playoffs average as he just attempted 13 shots and made five of them.

It was a struggle offensively for the Wolves as Randle and Williams were the team’s only double-digit scorers.

Oklahoma will still host Game 2 on Friday, May 23, before the series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4.(CCM)

• Tags
• #NBA West Finals
• #Oklahoma Thunder
• #Minnesota Timberwolves
• #Game 1
• #Western Finals
• #Shai Gilegous-Alexander
• #Julius Randle