Five things to watch for when Timberwolves play Thunder in Game 2

The Timberwolves entered the Western Conference finals as heavy series underdogs against Oklahoma City, and not much that happened during Tuesday’s 114-88 Thunder victory in Game 1 changed that narrative.

Minnesota is a 7.5-point underdog in Thursday’s Game 2, which feels like a must-win for the Wolves even if it’s not an elimination game. Going down 0-2 in the series would mean needing to win four of the next five against a team that went 68-14 during the regular season.

That said, the Wolves have a chance to change the course of the series on Thursday. To do so, they will need to be mindful of several things. Here are five of them, many of which I talked about on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

SGA is called The Free Throw Merchant for a reason, though whether it’s a term of endearment or derision depends on whether you are rooting for OKC or their opponent. Social media seems to be on the side “opponent”, particularly after Gilgeous-Alexander — who was named the NBA’s MVP on Wednesday — flopped through minimal (or no) contact a few times on the way to 14 free throw attempts in Game 1.

The meme game was strong, at least.

SGA attempted the second-most free throws in the league this season and made almost 100 more than anyone else. Like it or not, he has a knack for drawing contact (and frustrating opponents). His three-point play early in the third quarter Tuesday, which started with OKC down 52-51, sent Jaden McDaniels to the bench with his fourth foul and completely changed the game.

The Wolves must keep Gilgeous-Alexander off the line and out of their heads in Game 2. They can’t survive with their two most impactful defensive players (McDaniels and Rudy Gobert) in foul trouble again.

The good news for Minnesota is that almost nobody is talking about their Game 1 loss after the way the Pacers stunned the Knicks in an all-time classic Eastern Conference finals Game 1. For the third straight series, Indiana won a game during which it trailed by seven points with less than a minute left. This was the most impressive of all, with the Pacers trailing by 14 with less than three minutes left and nine in the closing minute before winning in overtime.

The Wolves would do well to tap into that resilience. The final score Tuesday was a lopsided 26-point loss, but Minnesota trailed by just 10 with five minutes to play before seeming to run out of any resolve.

They have been a resilient team all season — coming back after trailing by 24 in the fourth quarter to beat this very Thunder team a few months ago is just one of countless examples — and they will need to show that fighting spirit in Game 2 to make this a series.

Missed shots probably told more of the story of Game 1 (more on that in a minute), but the Wolves turned the ball over 17 times. Among those, the Thunder were credited with 13 steals — many of which became momentum-turning plays when OKC cashed in with fast-break points.

Minnesota largely controlled the tempo in the first half Tuesday despite some early sloppiness. The blueprint Thursday night is a continued emphasis on half-court execution while chopping that turnover total down to 10 or so.

It might seem silly to assert that Tuesday’s game was lost in the first half and not the second considering the Wolves were outscored 70-40 after leading by four at the break, but I’m going to do it anyway.

The Wolves missed a ton of open looks in the first 24 minutes, including a few that seemed to be three-quarters of the way down before spinning out. For the game, they went a putrid 11-for-39 on “open” threes while OKC was 10-for-16.

Minnesota’s top three reserves — usually reliable but suddenly unreliable in the playoffs — were a big part of the problem. Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker combined to shoot 5-for-28 (17.8%) from deep. Some of those shots felt rushed in the second half, but many in the first half were just flat-out missed opportunities. The Wolves could have led by 15 at the break, and when it was just 48-44 it felt like an Oklahoma City comeback was inevitable.

The Wolves must get more from those three bench players Thursday and beyond, or it will be a short series.

Edwards has threaded the needle between scorer and distributor throughout the playoffs. The Wolves’ young star has also had has biggest and most impactful scoring games in arguably the Wolves’ biggest two wins of the playoffs this year (43 points in a tight Game 4 win over the Lakers and 36 points in a gritty Game 3 win over Golden State).

The Wolves need Playoff Ant on Thursday.

As much as he has looked methodical during much of this postseason, he looked hesitant on Tuesday as the Thunder choked off his driving lanes and pressured him on the ball. He attempted just 13 shots, scored just 18 points, had just three assists and was a minus-23 in Game 1.

Edwards said an ankle twist that sent him to the locker room for part of the second quarter didn’t play a role in his off night. If that’s true, he just wasn’t good enough — and will probably need to carry the Wolves during some key stretches if they are going to win Thursday.