The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in the first round of the Western Conference Finals of the 2024/25 NBA Playoffs, thanks to the scores of Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Daigneault said the team's defense was the key driving force behind the reversal.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took the lead in the first quarter with their strong offensive power, but the Oklahoma City Thunder kept looking for space to counterattack in a stalemate and overtook the opponent in the third quarter.

By the final quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder successfully established a double-digit lead and eventually defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 at home.

According to the data, Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 31 points and 9 assists for the Oklahoma City Thunder in this campaign, Jalen Williams scored 19 points and 5 assists, and Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points and 3 assists.

Oklahoma City Thunder coach Daigneault said, "With how bad we played in the first half, but only trailing by four points, this half was a big win for us, and our defense was the key driver."

"The opponent's style is completely different and we have to spend some time to adapt to the opponent, but our defense gives us room for such adjustments."

"He doesn't get emotional and he just focuses on the next possession," Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander. "I really felt like he was in attack mode. He's a very present player, always focused on the possession in front of him."

"He's not going to change his style of play, he's not going to change his mentality. I think he showed that to the fullest, and he's a force to be reckoned with."

In addition, Gilgeous-Alexander said, "Frankly speaking, we were very rusty in the first half, and it really shouldn't be like this. We missed layups and free throws, but we have to continue to be aggressive and believe in our training results. We kept attacking the inside, layups started to hit, and our shooting touch came back, and at the same time we began to limit our opponents on defense."

"The first game is usually a game for adaptation. In the second game, they will make adjustments and we will also make changes. This is a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do."