THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER The star power. The depth. The defense. The versatility. You want it, the Thunder have it, and there may be no greater display than the second half of Game 1. Oklahoma City outscored Minnesota 70-40 in the second half,

The Thunder pummeled the Timberwolves 54-20 in the paint — which is going to need a fresh coat before Game 2 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves shot 35% from the field and went 15-of-51 (29.4) from 3. They shot 15-of-21 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 29 baskets. Two Timberwolves players scored double-digit points.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by high-flying guard Anthony Edwards, will look to take down the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 Tuesday.

The Thunder announced Wednesday morning that Paycom Center will open for fans for road games during the Western Conference finals, starting with Game 3 on Saturday.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he showed why he's MVP," Michael Malone said Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN's postgame coverage when discussing the Oklahoma City Thunder's 114-88 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Nickeil's mom, Nicole, is the sister of Shai's dad, Vaughn, which is why they are first cousins. NAW and SGA were born just 52 days apart in 1998. They grew up together in Ontario, and during their junior and senior high school years, both moved to the U.S. and became teammates at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Anthony Edwards, one of the NBA’s most dangerous rim finishers, was repeatedly denied access to the paint in the Timberwolves' Game 1 loss to the Thunder.