The Minnesota Timberwolves lost Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-88. After leading 48-44 at halftime, the Timberwolves collapsed in the second half. The problems were multifaceted for the Wolves, including sloppy turnovers, poor outside shooting, a lack of ball movement, and scoring.
However, one of the biggest stories from this game is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to draw fouls, including multiple controversial calls. The Timberwolves contained SGA in the first half, but he tore them apart in the second half, scoring 20 points.
After the Timberwolves beat the Thunder in a February regular-season game, head coach Chris Finch sounded off about the difficulties of playing against the Thunder and Shai specifically. Unfortunately, Finch's frustrations were evident in Game 1.
Chris Finch on the Thunder:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 25, 2025
"It's so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. They really do. They foul all the time. And then you can't really touch Shai. And it's a very frustrating thing" pic.twitter.com/EWTarUcqAa
Shai drew some absurd fouls
SGA drew 14 fouls, which resulted in 11 points. Crucially, Jaden McDaniels fouled out while guarding Shai for most of the game. McDaniels was highly effective in containing SGA in the first half, but once he got into foul trouble, the Thunder opened up the game.
While Shai is an elite driver, and many calls were legitimate fouls, several plays were marginal (or less) contact that SGA appeared to exaggerate. Overall, OKC had 26 free throws to Minnesota's 21. If the Thunder can continue winning the free-throw battle, it will be a massive advantage for them in the series. This will be a big advantage for OKC if McDaniels gets into foul trouble again, as he's their best defender on SGA.
SGA’s whistle needs to be studied 💀 pic.twitter.com/XJ61zMTW83
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) May 21, 2025
Finch's original point is valid, given that OKC plays a very physical brand of basketball on defense and doesn't get penalized for it, while SGA draws several fouls that lack contact. After the game, Finch noted that the Timberwolves have to get over Shai's ability to draw fouls and move on to the next play.
Chris Finch on Minnesota Timberwolves players getting frustrated over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drawing fouls:
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) May 21, 2025
"We talked about that before the series started and we have to be able to kind of put that to the side and get on with the next play mentality"pic.twitter.com/MsrIMfRfQr
The Timberwolves' problems are far deeper than fouls
Fouls are undoubtedly a reasonable point of frustration for the Timberwolves. However, their problems in Game 1 go far beyond some controversial calls. For starters, they committed 17 turnovers and recorded just 18 assists. Minnesota must make better decisions with the ball. Additionally, they shot just 29.4 percent from 3 on 51 attempts. After Julius Randle had a hot start, his production went down in the second half as OKC collapsed on his 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves' bench shot a combined 9-41, and they had no consistent source of offense in the second half, both in their starting lineup and bench. OKC's stifling defense certainly contributed to these shortcomings. Nevertheless, the Timberwolves need to make offensive adjustments to fight back in this series.