The Thunder is three wins away from the NBA Finals.
OKC took Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, putting the clamps on Minnesota in a 114-88 win Tuesday night at Paycom Center.
Let’s get to the grades.
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Getting to the rim: A
The Thunder’s shot chart had a green blob right at the basket. Made shots get a green O, and Oklahoma City had so many of those at the basket that the Os melded together. All that green was glorious for the Thunder.
It scored 54 points in the paint against the Timberwolves, and with shot-blocking nemesis Rudy Gobert hanging out down there, scoring that much that close to the basket is no easy task.
Some of those points came in transition when Gobert wasn’t there — the Thunder had 12 fastbreak points — but scoring 44 points in the halfcourt is a good night’s work against the Wolves.
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— Jenni Carlson
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Defending at the rim: A
The Thunder isn’t the only one trying to get to the basket in this series. The Wolves have guys who like to get downhill, too, starting with Anthony Edwards.
But Tuesday, Minnesota managed only 20 points in the paint.
And while the Thunder forced at least a dozen close-range misses, it did an even better job keeping the Wolves from getting a ton of shots down near the basket. Oklahoma City kept Edwards and Co. from getting a head of steam. Similarly, it slowed Minnesota’s pick-and-roll game, which has been particularly potent in the playoffs with Julius Randle and Mike Conley.
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— Jenni Carlson
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Mark Daigneault’s unpredictability: A+
Who had Isaiah Joe checking into the game before Alex Caruso? Or Kenrich Williams getting first-quarter minutes after not playing a meaningful second last series? Or Cason Wallace playing only five fewer seconds than Jalen Williams.
Leave it to Daigneault to zag in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.
All of it seemed to work. Daigneault was questioned for his coaching after Game 1 against Denver, but he dictated the terms in Game 1 against Minnesota.
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— Joe Mussatto
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Naz Reid didn’t score his first bucket until the fourth quarter. He finished 1 of 11.
This is a player one year removed from being the NBA’s Sixth Man.
Reid is the type of shooter — a floor-spacing five — who could swing one game of the series on his own.
Or Alex Caruso could make his life miserable for the next week and change.
— Joe Mussatto
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Ant-Dort matchup spice: D
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) defends Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Lu Dort guarding Anthony Edwards should be one of the spiciest parts of this series, and while the Thunder’s defensive Doberman guarded Edwards a bunch in the first half, there wasn’t much in the way of fireworks.
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And in the second half, there were even less.
It’s not that these two need to come to blows to live up to the hype, but with two highly athletic, highly competitive players, you figure sparks will fly. That didn’t happen in Game 1, though if given the chance, the Thunder would take Edwards going 5 for 13, scoring 18 points and going minus-19 the rest of this series and be just fine with that.
— Jenni Carlson
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National anthem: B+
Big Rob Clay has been in the lead-off spot in each of the Thunder’s first two playoff series, with the local pastor and singer doing the national anthem before Game 1 against the Grizzlies and the Nuggets.
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On Tuesday, the Thunder switched it up and went with Oklahoma-born singer Ben Rector. He played piano while singing, and it was top-notch.
So why the B+?
The Thunder is 2-0 in series where Big Rob opens. There is no such track record with Rector. His grade will go up if this series’ result is similar.
— Jenni Carlson
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Making Minnesota pay: B+
The turnover count wasn’t all that lopsided — 17 for the Wolves, 12 for the Thunder.
But Thunder gonna Thunder.
OKC outscored Minnesota 31-10 in points off turnovers. How does that math even work?
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— Joe Mussatto
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Holmgren looked gassed in the first half, especially on the offensive end. He wasn’t all that involved. He lacked burst.
Something changed at halftime, though.
Holmgren scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half. He played with more ferocity.
Sometimes we forget that he’s months removed from a hip surgery. There have been plenty of flashes, though, and the latest came in the second half Tuesday night.
— Joe Mussatto
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder vs Timberwolves report card: How OKC graded out in Game 1 win