In football, they would’ve reviewed the play to see if his knee was down.
That’s how close Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was to the hardwood when he released a layup midway through the fourth quarter of Game 1 between the OKC Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
The superstar guard had been bumped by Jaden McDaniels on a drive to the rim. But before he came crashing down, he heaved a prayer and watched it find the bottom of the net for an and-1 bucket.
Everything went right down the stretch for OKC, which began the Western Conference finals series with a 114-88 home win. OKC outscored the Timberwolves 70-40 in the second half.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points, nine assists and three steals. Jalen Williams added 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Here are four more takeaways from the game:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC masked early struggles with frequent free-throw shooting
Gilgeous-Alexander might not get a cleaner look all series than his first shot attempt of the first game.
After his defender went under a screen, the 26-year-old guard stepped into an open 3-pointer on the left wing. But he overshot the rim, and the ball ricocheted off the backboard.
The bad miss didn’t shake Gilgeous-Alexander’s confidence, though. He instead attacked the rim on OKC’s next possession and drew a foul by getting Rudy Gobert to bite on a pump fake.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine points in the first quarter on 5-for-7 shooting from the free-throw line. OKC attempted 11 free throws compared to Minnesota’s three.
That helped the Thunder stay within striking distance early on. It only trailed 23-20 at the end of the first quarter despite shooting 35.3% from the field and 20% from deep.
Julius Randle still had the hot hand
Even a five-day break in frigid Minneapolis wasn’t enough to cool off Julius Randle.
After averaging 25.2 points and 7.4 assists in Minnesota’s second-round series against Golden State, the 30-year-old forward still had the hot hand Tuesday. And he reached a boiling point during the second quarter.
Randle caught a pass from Mike Conley at the top of the arc with 8:45 on the clock. And despite being over 2 feet behind the 3-point line — 26 feet away from the rim — he drilled a deep bomb over the outstretched hand of Aaron Wiggins.
Randle then smiled as he threw his hands up. It was just one of those nights.
Randle erupted for 14 points in the second quarter. He finished the game with 28 points and eight rebounds.
Jalen Williams, OKC came alive in the third quarter
Williams glided through the air on his way to the rim, slicing Minnesota’s defense in the process.
The All-Star forward then finished an acrobatic layup, which forced Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch to burn a timeout. And as Williams walked across the OKC logo at halfcourt, he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Or at least it looked like he did. Williams’ battle cry couldn’t be heard over the electric Paycom Center crowd, but that’s OK. His play on the court spoke volumes.
After scoring just six points in the first half, Williams erupted for nine in the third quarter. He helped turn things around for the Thunder, which outscored the Timberwolves 32-18 to claim a 76-66 lead.
OKC’s depth continued to make a difference
OKC has showcased its depth throughout this postseason, and Tuesday’s Game 1 was no different.
Despite only playing a handful of meaningless minutes in four previous games during this playoff run, Kenrich Williams made a surprise appearance in the first quarter. He finished with eight points and three rebounds in nine minutes.
Alex Caruso left his mark on both ends of the floor as well. In addition to his usual stifling defense, the veteran guard scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from deep.
Isaiah Joe also got involved by recording seven points and eight rebounds. And Cason Wallace thrived as a playmaker, racking up seven assists.
OKC played eight guys off the bench. They posted a combined plus-minus of 79.
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.