After taking a commanding 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the OKC Thunder look as dominant as ever.
Although they have been the better team in nearly every fashion, these are the key reasons why:
The Thunder’s Big Three All Thriving
Coming into the series, there was a big concern as to whether Jalen Williams would play like an All-Star or a rookie. So far, him, newly awarded MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and defensive star Chet Holmgren have been nothing short of spectacular.
After a brutal start to Game 1, SGA has put together an incredible shot display. In the series, SGA is averaging 34.5 points, 8.5 assists, and 3.0 steals while shooting 45.8% from the field. He has scored on any and all T-Wolves defenders, specifically Jaden McDaniels and his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker. There has been nothing to stop SGA from getting wherever he wants inside the three-point line.
J-Dub has been unstoppable on both sides of the ball this series. The Thunder have matched him up against almost everyone on the T-Wolves, including Anthony Edwards, McDaniels, and Julius Randle. Along with his defense, J-Dub has been the perfect second option on offense. He’s gotten to his spots at will and been aggressively driving towards the paint.
Chet has an opponent field goal percentage of 39.8%; he has been a great rim protector while still being a great option on offense (18.5 points). Although his rebounds (5.5 per game) and blocks (1.0 per game) are down this series, Chet has deterred all of Minnesota from the paint while he is on the floor, forcing Minnesota to take an unwanted amount of threes.
Controlling the Turnover Battle
Turnovers have been the key reason behind countless Thunder runs this season, and this series is no different. OKC has 22 steals through two games and have forced 33 total turnovers. Minnesota has seven steals out of 23 total turnovers.
Minnesota has almost zero room for error in a series where they’re constantly losing the turnover battle. One of the key reasons behind their high turnover rate is that OKC is forcing Julius Randle to make bad decisions during his post-ups. OKC has put Randle into a poor pass or shot in nearly all of his post-up attempts, which has completely negated a significant piece of Minnesota’s offense.
(All clips via shotcreator.com)
Suppressing the Timberwolves’ Stars
Even though Minnesota has gone on a few hot streaks, the Thunder have done a great job of containing Edwards and Randle. Although Ant is averaging 25 points in this series, he has been below average in efficiency, with shooting splits of 43.6/23.5/70.6. OKC has forced Ant into shooting poor three-point and midrange shots, which has slowed down the T-Wolves’ offense.
Ever since Randle’s incredible 20-point first half in Game 1, OKC has contained him excellently. Even including that hot half, Randle has only averaged 17 points in the series. Combine that with nine total turnovers, and OKC has turned Randle into an easy-to-exploit offensive liability.
If the Thunder continue to make these stars play the way they have been, Minnesota has almost zero chance of winning this series.
Scoring at Ease in the Paint
Nothing has stopped the Thunder from getting easy looks. As a whole they’re shooting 55.9% from two with 66 total makes. Against the zone that Minnesota has primarily been running, OKC gets to the paint at will and feeds their bigs the looks they dream of. Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet are shooting well above 60% from two, even with Minnesota having one of the best rim protectors in the league, Rudy Gobert.
Minnesota has been the opposite of OKC in regards to two-point scoring this series. Minnesota has made just 39 two-point field goals and is shooting 48.8% from inside the arc. The OKC defense has made nothing easy for Minnesota. Not being able to get a consistent look in the paint while shooting 28.9% from three is a recipe for disaster that, if it continues, will lead to Minnesota’s elimination.
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