Thunder defense stifles Wolves, dominates in Game 1 victory - ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY — After spending the previous seven games searching for solutions against the Denver Nuggets' variety of zone defenses, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't make a smooth transition against the Minnesota Timberwolves' physical man-to-man schemes in the Western Conference finals opener.

But no team in the NBA presents more defensive problems than the top-seeded Thunder, a trend that continued in Tuesday's Game 1, allowing Oklahoma City to overcome a hideous offensive first half.

The Thunder, fueled by converting the Timberwolves' 19 turnovers into 31 points, pulled away for a 114-88 win.

«We try to play to our identity,» said Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 31 points despite going 2 of 13 from the floor in the first half. «We did a good job of that on defense. Our defense definitely gave us life early in the game and kept us in it.»

Oklahoma City trailed by only four points at halftime despite scoring just 44 points, 18 of which were off of turnovers.

«I just thought it took us a second to calibrate to the opponent, but our defense allowed us the margin to do that,» Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.

Oklahoma City's shotmaking tends to ebb and slow, particularly during the postseason, but the Thunder have consistently been the NBA's most dominant defensive team. Oklahoma City had the league's top-rated defense during the regular season by a significant margin — allowing 106.6 points per 100 possessions, 2.5 fewer than any other team — and has cranked that up to another level in the playoffs.

The Thunder have allowed only 100.7 points per 100 possessions in 12 playoff games. The Timberwolves have the second-stingiest defense this postseason, allowing 107.8 points per 100