NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the Oklahoma City Thunder the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points, while Jalen Williams added 26 points to bring the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-103 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder leads seven series 2-0 in Minneapolis to enter Game 3 on Saturday.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named the NBA’s most valuable player on Wednesday and featured the trophy before Thursday’s game, scored over 30 points in five consecutive games.
38 points tied the career playoff high, with him adding eight assists and three steels with one turnover.
Chet Holmgren contributed 22 points in the victory.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards finished with 32 points and shot 12 of the 26 from the floor, but only one of nine in a three-point attempt. He also provided nine rebounds and six assists.
Julius Randle, who helped Minnesota build a first half lead in Game 1 with a string of three pointers, was rolled up with just six points in Game 2. He made two of his 11 shots from the floor.
The Timberwolves received 17 points from Nickaire Alexander Walker and 10 points and eight rebounds from Naz Reed.
Oklahoma City led up to 24 points later in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves clawed within 10 with more than three minutes left.
But that was as close as Minnesota would slow down as Minnesota responded repeatedly in minutes of shutdowns.
Oklahoma City grabbed control third and raised the pressure on defense again.
Minnesota didn’t score a field goal for six minutes late in the quarter, missing seven consecutive shots, and committed five turnovers as the Thunder extended their lead to 24 in the second half of the period.
After struggling from the field early in Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander was much more efficient from the jump in Game 2.
Edwards said he needs to shoot more in Game 2 after trying 13 shots in a 114-88 loss on Tuesday. He has been offensive since the start of Thursday, attempting 10 shots in the first quarter while adding three assists (and earning a four).
The Timberwolves are within three, and only more than two minutes were cut to half before Oklahoma City was closed down strongly.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored all the points for Thunder during a 7-2 run, earning an eight-point lead at halftime. His fuss included drawing a foul on Jaden McDaniels in the final seconds and sinking a pair of free throws.
Thunder led 58-50 on the break despite only filming four of 20 people past the first half arc.
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