BBNBA: Gilgeous-Alexander's huge second half propels OKC in Game 1 win

Just two days removed from winning a Game 7, the Oklahoma City Thunder won a Game 1. It what seemed like basketball scheduling malpractice, the Thunder had just one day’s recovery time after a hard-fought Game 7 win in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets. Still, they managed to defend home court against the Timberwolves in the all-important Game 1 of the West Finals. Former Kentucky guard and soon-to-be MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points in his team’s 114-88 victory.

OKC initially looked like they might be feeling the effects of that quick turnaround, especially SGA, who shot just 2-13 in the first half. Those 11 missed field goals were the most he had in any half all season long.

But at halftime, he kissed his baby and turned back into his self. That is not a metaphor. He literally kissed his infant in hopes of attaining some positive vibes, and well, it worked. Maybe he should kiss his kid more often.

Gilgeous-Alexander exploded in the second half, making eight of his 14 shots and turning a four-point halftime deficit into a 26-point win. He also finished with nine assists and three steals.

Fellow Wildcat, Cason Wallace, had just three points on the night but came away with another viral highlight. It wasn’t quite posterizing Nikola Jokic, but Wallace broke Donte DiVincenzo’s ankles and delivered a perfect alley-oop to a cutting Jalen Williams.

CASOOOO!

CASON WALLACE ➡️ JALEN WILLIAMS

THE THUNDER ARE STORMING AHEAD IN GAME 1!!#NBAConferenceFinals presented by Google on ESPN pic.twitter.com/JvzUrtc2aK

— NBA (@NBA) May 21, 2025

Randle continued his individual excellence; Rob Dillingham made his playoff debut

If you’re a Timberwolf fan, you can’t blame Julius Randle for this loss. Randle finished with a team-high 28 points, sinking five of his six 3-pointers. He also had seven rebounds, one assist, and a steal.

A deeper Kentucky nugget of interest came when Rob Dillingham made his playoff debut during two minutes of garbage time late in the 4th quarter. He got shifty, though, and dished out one assist in his short time on the court. Dillingham has been healing from an ankle injury that kept him out of the first two series. It will be interesting to see if he sneaks into the rotation at all.

The big story for Minnesota, however, is the health of Anthony Edwards’s ankle, not Rob Dillingham’s. Ant twisted it in the first quarter and had to leave the game. Although he did return, you could tell his aggressiveness wasn’t at max capacity. It will be something to watch moving forward.

Until then, the Knicks, led by Karl-Anthony Towns, and the Pacers kick off the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.

BBNBA Statistics for 5/20/2025

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	P/M	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	114-88 W vs. MIN	31	10-27 (0-4)	5	9	3	0	2	+22	36
Julius Randle (MIN)	114-88 L @ OKC	28	9-13 (5-6)	6	1	1	0	5	-17	36
Cason Wallace (OKC)	114-88 W vs. MIN	3	1-3 (1-3)	3	7	1	0	3	+21	33
Rob Dillingham (MIN)	114-88 L @ OKC	0	0-1 (0-0)	0	1	0	0	0	-6	2

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference Finals | Game 1 | Wednesday, May 21
8:00 (TNT) | Pacers (Jackson: out) @ Knicks (Towns)