SGA, Thunder Electrify NBA Fans in WCF Game 1 Win vs. Anthony Edwards, Wolves

Initial momentum in the Western Conference Finals belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Tuesday's Game 1 at Paycom Center with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way as he has all season. The MVP candidate finished with 31 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals and spearheaded a strong second-half comeback effort.

It was far from a one-man show, as Jalen Williams (19 points, eight rebounds, five steals and five assists) and Chet Holmgren (15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks) also played well in support.

Anthony Edwards (18 points and nine rebounds) and Julius Randle (28 points, eight rebounds and five three-pointers) didn't have enough firepower on the other side as the Thunder—who are now -750 to win the series on FanDuel Sportsbook—drew plenty of praise from social media:

It didn't seem like anyone had a clear advantage entering play Tuesday, as the Thunder had home-court advantage as the top seed while the Timberwolves figured to be fresher having not played since eliminating the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. By comparison, OKC needed the full seven games to get past the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

Small-picture uncertainty turned into big-picture concerns for the Timberwolves early in the game when Edwards went to the locker room with an apparent ankle injury, but those worries faded when he returned in the second quarter.

The visitors were also in an ideal position when he came back because Randle was on fire. The forward carried the offense without Edwards with a flurry of three-point shooting to stake Minnesota to a four-point halftime advantage.

It wasn't just Randle's offense that set the tone. The Timberwolves also swarmed Gilgeous-Alexander with length and timely double teams and held the potential MVP to an ugly 2-of-13 shooting before intermission with stifling defense.

But it was inevitable that Gilgeous-Alexander would find his footing.

And he did just that in the third as the home team seized control of the game with a 20-6 run to end the quarter. SGA did much of the heavy lifting with multiple and-1 plays, an array of midrange jumpers, and a willingness to facilitate to Williams and others when Minnesota continued to collapse.

He and Williams also created chaos on the defensive side when they weren't attacking the basket, and it was Holmgren's turn to take over in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer and a string of dunks as he asserted his presence on the inside.

It was the type of game that illustrated just how dangerous the Thunder can be with SGA proving unstoppable for stretches and a strong supporting cast overwhelming the visitors when the game was hanging in the balance.

That also means it comes as no surprise they are the championship favorites at -240 compared to +550 for the New York Knicks, +850 for the Indiana Pacers and +900 for the Timberwolves.

OKC will look to improve those odds in front of the home fans in Thursday's Game 2.