Scoggins: Three observations on the Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City

Anthony Edwards went quiet. The bench went cold. And the Timberwolves found out that their margin for error in the Western Conference finals will be appreciably smaller than the first two playoff series.

Game 1 left the Wolves with a lot to ponder after falling apart in the second half of a 114-88 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

A four-point lead at halftime vanished under the weight of missed shots and turnovers, the Wolves allowing the Thunder to outscore them by 30 points in the second half.

Here are three observations from the lopsided loss …

Fair or not, this series will get labeled as a duel between two of the NBA’s best young superstars, Edwards and MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Round 1 went to Gilgeous-Alexander decisively.

The Thunder star finished a game-high plus-22. The Wolves star finished a game-low minus-23.

Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a shaky start to lead the second-half surge, finishing with 31 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Edwards made minimal impact. He took only 13 shots, scored 18 points and lacked assertiveness on offense. A telltale sign of his struggles against the Thunder’s No. 1-ranked defense: Edwards finished with more turnovers than assists (four to three).

Edwards has toggled between scorer and facilitator throughout the postseason, but he did neither effectively in Game 1. Julius Randle handled the heavy lifting with 20 points in the first half, but the Wolves need both of their stars contributing at their normal level.

On the other side, containing Gilgeous-Alexander is a slippery slope. He is both supremely talented at creating (and making) shots and supremely talented at getting officials to blow their whistles. Both traits frustrated the Wolves.

Gilgeous-Alexander attempted the second-most free throws in the NBA this season, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo. He went to the line 14 times in Game 1, making 11.

The favorable whistle he receives from officials is no secret. Some are fouls, some are not, some are questionable. That’s a thin tightrope for defenses to navigate.

The officiating on Gilgeous-Alexander will remain a theme all series. The Wolves can’t let that get inside their heads to the point that it becomes a distraction.

The Thunder led the NBA in forcing turnovers (17.0 per game) and three-point defense (34.2%). Keep an eye on those two statistics as the series unfolds. Those two facets will likely determine the outcome of the series.

The Thunder’s formula worked in Game 1.

The Wolves committed 19 turnovers and shot 29.4% on three-pointers. That was the ballgame in a snapshot.

The Wolves had six turnovers in the first quarter alone. Several came when a Wolves player held the ball too long with his back turned to the defense, allowing a Thunder player to sneak in and steal it.

The Thunder scored 31 points off turnovers.

The Wolves’ three-point shooting woes compounded the problems. They attempted 51 threes and made only 15.

Some of their misses came on open looks, but they also forced some when the Thunder found a rhythm in the third quarter and started to pull away.

If the Thunder switch to their smaller lineup with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein on the bench, the Wolves need to attack the basket more and not settle for perimeter shots.

Wolves reserves contributed so significantly to the team’s success during the regular season that players professed to have a “starting eight.”

The bench dragged them down in Game 1.

The triumvirate of Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a dreadful shooting performance, combining for only 21 points on 7-for-36 shooting.

They were 5-for-28 from the three-point arc. Many of those misses were uncontested shots.

Their misfires sabotaged any chance of withstanding the Thunder’s run.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors lacked the firepower to pose a real threat. The Thunder reside in a different weight class of competition.

The Wolves cannot afford to have that kind of performance from their reserves. They don’t all have to play at peak performance, but all three clanking shots is a recipe for a blowout loss.