OKLAHOMA CITY — After beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Game 1, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reflected on his leadership style following his Western Conference Final debut. It was his first time playing in a third-round series. Gilgeous-Alexander vowed to solve the Timberwolves’ problems throughout the best-of-7 series after Minnesota held the MVP candidate to 10-of-27 attempts in the series opener.

Still, the Thunder prevailed. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31 points led the charge. However, for Gilgeous-Alexander, his teammates stepped up to secure a 26-point blowout win, which transitioned the topic from Game 1 to Gilgeous-Alexander’s approach as the team’s leader.

“It’s true to my personality. I’m not always the loudest guy in the room or say too much, but my energy and effort, and what I put on the floor, speak louder than anything,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “That’s just how I not only go about the game, but also go about life. Actions always speak louder than words. To me, especially. That’s just how I go about it.”

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a team-high 31 points, but it took him 27 attempts to get there. His 11-of-14 free throws made up for his lackluster shooting.

However, Gilgeous-Alexander revealed there will be a Game 2 adjustment. SGA revealed it during his walk-off interview, per ESPN’s Lisa Salters.

“I’m gonna keep that a secret and not let the world know so [the Timberwolves] don’t see it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But we know what we got to do.”

The Thunder has a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

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Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says problem-solving plays a signature part in basketball, especially in the postseason amid a best-of-7 series against the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. Coming off a seven-game series against the Nuggets, there was plenty of adjusting for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder in their series opener.

Gilgeous-Alexander addressed the Timberwolves’ defensive approach in Game 1.

“Feels like a little more physical, but at the end of the night, it’s basketball. They throw you a problem, you have to solve it, whatever it looks like. That’s what it is every night. That’s what it was tonight. They had different coverages, different personnel out there, and we have to attack it and work together as a unit to solve the problems, and we did that tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will host the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday, aiming to take a 2-0 lead.