In the first game of the Western Conference Finals, despite a "rusty" start, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's strong outbreak in the second half, taking the lead in the series.

In the first half of the game, the Timberwolves performed brilliantly under the leadership of Julius Randle, who scored 20 points in the first half, helping the team lead 48-44 into the halftime break, and it seemed that they had a chance to upset the top seed.

However, the Thunder quickly adjusted their rhythm in the second half and scored a wave to overtake the score. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points in the game, 20 of which came in the second half, and also contributed 5 rebounds and a game-high 9 assists, fully dominating the game.

After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander admitted in an interview with ESPN on the sidelines: "To be honest, we were a little rusty in the first half, which shouldn't have been the case. We missed layups and free throws, but we remained aggressive and believed in our training results."

This is the fourth consecutive game in which the MVP candidate has scored more than 30 points. He also knows the rhythm of the series: "The first game is always tentative. In the second game, they will definitely make adjustments, and so will we. This is a best-of-seven series, not a one-game series. Although it's a good start, we still have a lot of work to do."

The second round between the two sides will continue in Oklahoma City this Friday.