Timberwolves come home in a big hole dug by the relentless Thunder and their poise, precision
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The newest NBA MVP put his head down and dribbled toward the basket, an attempt by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lunge past one of the league's best perimeter defenders midway through the fourth quarter of another decisive victory by Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
After his right arm was subtly hooked by Gilgeous-Alexander at the beginning of the drive, Jaden McDaniels reached for the middle of his back and pushed Minnesota's tormentor with enough force to send him stumbling to the floor on Thursday with the Thunder up by 16 points.
McDaniels got a Flagrant 1 penalty and shrugged off the significance of the shove afterward. He had fouls to give, he said, so he used one. But it was a clear sign of frustration for the Timberwolves, who have so far seen their own championship aspirations overwhelmed by a well-constructed team chasing the title with a mix of poise, precision and relentlessness unseen anywhere else in these NBA playoffs.
“We've got to meet their aggression,” said Julius Randle, who had by far his worst performance of this postseason in Game 2 with just six points on 2-for-11 shooting and four turnovers.
The Thunder will take a 2-0 lead and a load of confidence and momentum into Game 3 on Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.
“We've got to be desperate,” McDaniels said. “Every possession matters.”
One of the most discouraging developments for the Wolves from Game 2 was that they held the Thunder to 9-for-33 shooting from 3-point range and still lost by 15.
Deftly bucking the data-driven NBA trend away from midrange jumpers, the Thunder shot 63% on 2-pointers, many of them outside of the lane against a Wolves team that has established itself as big, fast and strong enough to consistently take away the rim and the perimeter.
“We have to do just a better job of contesting that. We’re trying to take away a lot of things. They do a great job of getting into those spots,” said Mike Conley, who at plus-19 is the only net-positive player for the Wolves in the series.
The rest of the guards in their usual eight-man rotation have been badly outscored during their time on the court. Anthony Edwards is a minus-45, Donte DiVincenzo is a minus-47, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a minus-20.
Just as critical as tightening up the middle of their defense for the Wolves will be getting Randle going again. After averaging 24 points on 52% shooting over his first 11 games of the playoffs, including Game 1 of this series, his struggle against the Thunder's intense ball pressure was so pronounced on Thursday that coach Chris Finch kept him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.
“Probably just standing and spectating too much,” Randle said. “I've got to get myself into actions, get myself on the move. We know what type of defense they are. They’re going to swarm you.”
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Thunder got their wakeup call out of the way nearly three weeks ago when they wasted a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and lost their second-round opener when Denver's Aaron Gordon hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.
The Nuggets presented several different defensive strategies that the Thunder ultimately figured out how to pivot away from on their way to winning the series in seven games. The Wolves have done the same so far, emptying the playbook in an attempt to keep Gilgeous-Alexander's slick-moving, smooth-shooting game in check and the role players from beating them beyond the arc.
But while the Wolves are superior defensively to the Nuggets, the Thunder used that experience to not practice the postseason art of quick adjustment — and cut their teeth in some close games. They took plenty of tactical and mental momentum, into this matchup.
“We had our backs against the wall and had to respond multiple times in that series,” coach Mark Daigneault said. "And now we have a different challenge. We’re up 2-0 going into their place. We know they’re going to play very aggressively, hard, comfortably at home, and now we’ve got to have the mental toughness to go and rise to that challenge.”
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