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The Minnesota Timberwolves put together a good first half against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately for them, they could not hold on to their four-point lead and got blown out in the second half. At the end of the game, the Timberwolves walked away with a 114-88 loss, leaving Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels with little to say after Wednesday's practice.
The 24-year-old forward took the primary assignment on NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, the Thunder star could not be stopped, scoring 31 points in the win. His drives to the rim put multiple Timberwolves players into foul trouble, and McDaniels fouled out after playing just 24 minutes in the game.
McDaniels pointed out the run that the Thunder went on in the third quarter that turned the game from a competitive fight into a blowout loss. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, McDaniels felt that Minnesota eased off the gas too soon in the game.
Jaden McDaniels said the Thunder’s 17-2 run in the 3rd Q of Game 1 wasn’t just caused by OKC applying pressure, but by MIN letting their foot off the gas at the same time. He said the lesson learned is still playing hard until the final buzzer – “you don’t know what can happen” pic.twitter.com/SvyNUy3e96
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 21, 2025
“I'll say, I think we let off the pressure a little bit,” McDaniels said. “We were picking up 94 feet. I feel like we kinda let off and then just staying with the game, no matter what the score is. Anything can happen. It's a playoff game, you just have to play until the buzzer goes off.”
While Timberwolves fans are not happy to hear that coming from one of their players, he is right. Anthony Edwards and the rest of Minnesota's players settled for jumpers instead of attacking the rim throughout the game. The Timberwolves shot 51 three-pointers, the most attempts they have had in any game this season.
Despite the tough loss, Edwards and the Timberwolves are not a team that backs down. Their confidence has carried them to this point and will continue to do so as they hope to even the series at one game apiece in Game 2.
If they can not pull off a road win, they face a big uphill climb. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder would love nothing more than to dispatch Minnesota quickly and move on to the NBA Finals.
