OKLAHOMA CITY — Putting his head down, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drove to the basket but only took a few steps before Jaden McDaniels pushed him from behind. The MVP favorite landed on his side but quickly got up when his layup went in for the celebratory and-one.

After a sleepy first half, the Oklahoma City Thunder rubbed away their eye boogers for a 114-88 Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The statement victory put the first seed ahead with a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

“I thought that was the game for us. To play as poorly as we did offensively in the first half and be down four was a major victory for us at halftime. The defense was a huge catalyst on that,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought offensively, it’s a very different series and team stylistically. I just thought it took us some time to calibrate that. They’re a lot more pressure-oriented on the perimeter and more physical on the perimeter.

Early on, the basketball was as ugly as most anticipated. Two of the best defenses matched up. The Thunder couldn’t get anything going while the Timberwolves scored the first eight points. OKC exited the first quarter in a 23-20 deficit.

Julius Randle turned supernova against the Thunder. A deep 3-pointer capped off 20 points in the first half, where he went 5-of-6 from deep to start. Minnesota had no problem spamming outside looks as its ultimate equalizer. The Thunder kept up with 24 points in the frame and only trailed 48-44 at halftime.

All things considered, not the worst deficit to be in. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 11 points, but he had to earn them. The rest of the Thunder couldn’t get anything going as Minnesota’s defense limited the quality of their halfcourt possessions.

Then the Thunder flipped the switch. Like they’ve done all season, they avalanched the Timberwolves in the third quarter to flip the scoreboard and create distance. A 20-5 run broke the game open in favor of OKC. The MVP candidate took over and Jalen Williams finally snapped out of his funk to help.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves went cold from the outside. Luck ran out for them. The Thunder had a 32-18 scoring advantage in the third quarter to build a 76-66 lead.

OKC continued to bury Minnesota in the fourth frame. Chet Holmgren sniffed out any faint comeback hopes and turned them into delusion. A 38-point period transformed this from an intriguing battle into another boring blowout where the reserves checked in for the final minutes.

The Thunder shot 50% from the field and went 11-of-21 (52.4%) from 3. They shot 21-of-26 on free throws. They had 27 assists on 41 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 31 points and nine assists. Williams helped out with 19 points and eight rebounds. Holmgren had 15 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 35% from the field and went 15-of-51 (29.4) from 3. They shot 15-of-21 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 29 baskets. Two Timberwolves players scored double- digit points.

Anthony Edwards was limited to 18 points and nine rebounds. Randle led the way with 28 points and eight rebounds. The rest of Minnesota’s depth were no-shows as OKC hounded its non-existent ball-handlers for turnovers.

It’s only Game 1, but this was quite the statement by the Thunder. Many thought Minnesota’s defense could put the Thunder in a bind. While it did early on, they only needed the halftime break to crack that code. OKC ran the Timberwolves out of the gym in the second half with another classic takeover like it’s done several times this year.

“It takes guys on the ball and guys on the help. Great players and great offensive players, you can’t defend them with one defender. You gotta defend them as a team. That’s been a strength of ours all season. I thought we did that tonight,” Daigneault said. “But this is a really great that’s got resolve and great players. They have a great coach tactically. So, they’re going to have the next pitch that we’re going to have to hit.”

The Thunder will be home again tonight In Oklahoma City for Game 2. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. and can be televised on ESPN.

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