In a night where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his new shoe colorway debut and received the Michael Jordan MVP award, Oklahoma City fans were ecstatic with a lot of celebrating as the Thunder also went on to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves following a 118-103 victory at home.

Minnesota was expected to respond after that tough loss in Game 1, and yet OKC held their ground and kept the fight alive to make sure that the Timberwolves would not get a chance to steal one at Paycom Center. So far, the result has been promising, and it cannot be denied that the Thunder have really owned this series.

With Games 3 and 4 set in Minnesota, OKC now looks forward for a chance to come up with impressive performances and keep the same pace as they expect the Timberwolves to pack a huge punch to at least keep their season alive. For now, fans may want to bask in the victory by the Thunder as this series may or may not, return home to OKC for another bout.

A Total Struggle by Minnesota

Anthony Edwards was asked to step up and be more aggressive in his second game against the Thunder after a dismal performance in Game 1. Sure, the athletic guard scored 32 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, but he shot 1-of-9 from three, and 12-for-26 overall in the game. That is a disappointing note considering that he is one of the most relentless, consistent, and elite scorers in the game.

Nothing was seen from the bigs of Minnesota as well. Julius Randle was held to just six points on 2-of-11 shooting after dropping 28 points in Game 1. Rudy Gobert still struggled to find his worth on the court with just five points on five shot attempts. Naz Reid off the bench had 10 points but missed eight threes.

Still, it was an impressive game of response from Jaden McDaniels (22 points) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17 points). But Minnesota collapsed on the attack and had a lot of turnovers with 14 compared to the Thunder’s six. Even though they had more free throws made and attempted, it didn’t seem to matter at all.

Oklahoma City struggled to shoot from three with just nine on 33 attempts, but neither could Minnesota take advantage of that as they shot 11-of-39 points themselves.

A Big Night for OKC’s Big 3

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dominated the game in his MVP night with a career playoff-high of 38 points to go along with eight assists. However, it was the impressive contribution of Jalen Williams, who scored 26 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists – and Chet Holmgren dropping 22 points with a lot of explosive plays definitely did the trick once more.

For what it is worth, the Thunder trio combined for a total of 86 points of their 118 points. Most of the stories over the course of the playoffs have been about the Thunder bench being so deep and effective, but now the night belonged to the core trio that kicked off this massive campaign that was just three years in the making.

OKC now stands with a 7-1 record at home in the playoffs, and it will stay that way until either the NBA Finals, or if they drop one game on the road. After all, the goal is to steal at least one game against Minnesota on their home floor, and finish the deed at home.