NBA West finals: Thunder use big 2nd half in Game 1 win over Timberwolves

The Western Conference finals sees the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves square off for a spot in the NBA Finals. 

The Thunder are aiming to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. This postseason, OKC swept the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies before needing seven games to eliminate the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets .

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are trying to secure their first appearance in the NBA Finals in franchise history. The Wolves already knocked off the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers in seven games before dispatching the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors . 

Here's what has stood out from the Thunder's Game 1 win and what to expect from Game 2.

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Game 1: Thunder 114, Timberwolves 88

What stood out for the Thunder: This was a tale of two halves for the Thunder, who trailed by as much as nine points in the first half before outscoring the Timberwolves in the second half, 70-40, to lead by as much as 26 points. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is a frontrunner for the MVP award, said in his walk-off interview with ESPN that the team came out a bit "rusty." He finished with a game-high 31 points after a shaky start in which he had 11 points on 2-for-13 shooting in the first half. 
 

The Thunder shot a blazing 61.9 percent from the field in the second half, including 61.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Meanwhile, the stunned Timberwolves made just 35 percent of their shots in the final 24 minutes, including a woeful 21.7 percent from beyond the arc.

What stood out for the Timberwolves: The Timberwolves need to figure out a way to limit their turnovers against the Thunder, which had the