In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-103 with the help of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 38 points and Jalen Williams had 26.
Going into Game 3 on Saturday in Minneapolis, the Thunder are 2-0 up in the best-of-seven series.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 30 or more points in five games straight and was given the trophy prior to Thursday’s game.
With just one turnover, he added eight assists and three steals, which tied his career playoff-high.
The win was led by Chet Holmgren by 22 points.
Anthony Edwards of Minnesota finished with 32 points on only one of nine three-point attempts. He also collected six assists and nine rebounds.
In Game 2, Julius Randle, who helped Minnesota a first-half lead with a string of three-pointers, finished with just six points. He did not play in the fourth quarter and only made two of his 11 attempts from the floor, skipping all three of his three three-point attempts.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 17 points and Naz Reid added 10 points and eight rebounds.
With only more than three minutes left, the Timberwolves jumped out to within 10 points after leading by as much as 24 at the end of the third quarter.
The Thunder, however, had to come as far as Minnesota could before they could because they had to respond inconsequentially.
In the third inning, Oklahoma City again increased the pressure on defense.
Six minutes into the fourth quarter, the Thunder extended their lead to 24 before the final whistle by missing seven consecutive shots and making five turnovers.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who had a difficult start in Game 1, was much more effective in Game 2, going a long way to missing a shot in Game 2 with less than five minutes to go.
After attempting just 13 shots on Tuesday in a 114-88 loss, Edwards said he needed to shoot more in Game 2. On Thursday, he started the offensive aggressively, making 10 shots in the first quarter and adding three assists.
With only more than two minutes left in the half, the Timberwolves had a strong second-half lead.
During a 7-2 run to give the Thunder an eight-point lead into halftime, Gilgeous-Alexander scored all of their points. In the closing seconds of his game, he drew a foul on Jaden McDaniels and made two free throws.
Despite only shooting four of their 20 from beyond the arc in the first half, the Thunder held a 58-50 lead at the break.
Source: Aljazeera
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