The Minnesota Timberwolves must solve Oklahoma City’s ‘AAU’ defense to avoid a 2-0 deficit in the Western Conference finals.
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards used the term to describe Oklahoma City's young, aggressive unit after the Thunder held the Timberwolves to 34.9% shooting in a 114-88 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday.
“I mean, it’s hard to process because it was different every time,” Edwards said after Game 1. “Heavy in the gaps, sometimes trap the ball screens sometimes don’t. Sometimes just run and jump. It’s kind of similar to like AAU. They remind me of like an AAU defensive team. Just run and jump. Fly around. It’s pretty good.”
Edwards said the first key for him is to be more aggressive. He didn’t like that he scored 18 points on just 13 shots in a Game 1 loss, well below his normal output. He said his adjustment for Game 2 on Thursday night will be a simple one.
“Play without the ball a little more, get a little more cardio in,” Edwards said. “Should be good.”
Minnesota coach Chris Finch said there’s plenty of ways for the Timberwolves to improve. They made just 15 of 51 3-pointers in the opener and committed 17 turnovers.
“We’ve got to pick up our decision-making,” Finch said. “We’ve definitely got to play with more force. We’ve got to play with more pass-pass combinations. We got to go somewhere a little bit quicker.”
Finch also said the Wolves need more help from the bench - and more importantly just make your shots.
"I think our bench plus Mike Conley was 6 for 36 from the three point line," Finch said. "Obviously, there was a huge component of shot-making that was, you know, you got to make shots to get assists. So, yeah."
Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels expects that will change.
"We just gotta be ready to shoot and just generate more good shots. And I feel like the more we do generate the more they'll go in," he adds.
Oklahoma City leads the league in defensive rating by a large margin in the playoffs. The Thunder lead all playoff teams with 10.8 steals per game and an opponent field-goal percentage of .407 in the postseason.
Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are two of the league’s best on-ball defenders. Caruso is versatile enough to defend guards or a big like Denver's Nikola Jokic, as he did last series.
Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous Alexander are quick and strong and are good in passing lanes — Williams had five steals in Game 1. Cason Wallace is an exceptional athlete. That allows the Thunder to keep fresh bodies on an opponent’s best players.
In the paint, Chet Holmgren has been one of the league’s top rim protectors and Isaiah Hartenstein has been one of its top rebounders.
The result can be overwhelming. Several Minnesota players struggled with their shooting on Tuesday. Mike Conley made 2 of 8 shots, Donte DiVincenzo made 3 of 14 and Nickeil Walker-Alexander made 3 of 11.
Edwards said it was more about the Timberwolves than the Thunder.
“They got great looks, just couldn’t make them,” Edwards said. “A lot of them went in and out. And that’s going to help us. That’s going to help me and Ju (Julius Randle) because they usually make those shots. So we’re not really worried about them making shots. We’ll be all right.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault expects the Timberwolves to adjust.
“This is a really, really good team that’s got great resolve,” he said. “These are great players. They have a great coach, tactically. So they’re going to have the next pitch that we’re going have to hit. We are aware of that, so we have to get to work.”
EDWARDS FINED AGAIN
Anthony Edwards has been fined $50,000 for using profane language during a media interview, the NBA announced Wednesday. It's been a theme for Edwards this season.
Edwards’ comments came a during postgame media session after the Timberwolves’ 114-88 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night. He had been averaging 26.5 points per game in the playoffs and was disappointed after he was held to 18 points on 5-for-13 shooting in Game 1.
“I’ve definitely got to shoot more,” he said. “I took 13 (expletive) shots, but I’ll say probably just get off the ball a little more. Play without the ball. I think that would be the answer, because playing on the ball, they’re just going to double and sit in the gaps all day. So I’ve got to go watch some film and take it apart and figure it out.”
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -7.5; over/under is 214
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Thunder lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Thunder won the last meeting 114-88 on Wednesday, led by 31 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 28.
The Thunder have gone 12-4 against division opponents. Oklahoma City is 54-5 in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Timberwolves are 11-5 against opponents in the Northwest Division. Minnesota averages 13.7 turnovers per game and is 23-11 when winning the turnover battle.
The 120.5 points per game the Thunder score are 11.2 more points than the Timberwolves allow (109.3). The Timberwolves average 15.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 more made shots on average than the 13.5 per game the Thunder allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Williams is shooting 48.4% and averaging 21.6 points for the Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.8 points over the last 10 games.
Randle is averaging 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is averaging 26.1 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 7-3, averaging 115.3 points, 44.5 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 11.0 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.5 points per game.
Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 105.3 points, 41.8 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.0 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out for season (acl).
Timberwolves: None listed.