"Minnesota's Homework Is Third Quarter" How to Break Oklahoma City's Pattern
"Minnesota's Homework Is Third Quarter" How to Break Oklahoma City's Pattern
Blog Article
The Minnesota Timberwolves did well in the first round of the Western Conference Final until the second quarter, but collapsed in the third quarter due to the Oklahoma City Thunder's typical offensive. In Game 1 on the 21st (Korea Standard Time), the Thunder won the first game of the series 114-88 by defeating Minnesota 32-18 in the third quarter and 38-22 in the fourth quarter.
"The Thunder's third quarter also caused pain to the opposing team in this playoff," The Athletic reporter Jack Harper said after the game. The Thunder posted a league-high net rating of +14.0 in the third quarter during the regular season, and this has been applied to this series as well. The Thunder, who finished the first half four points behind on the day, pushed Minnesota to a 70-40 advantage in the second half alone.
After the third quarter, the Thunder finished the game with a 20-4 scoring run, finishing the game with a 10-point gap until five minutes and seven seconds before the game ended. Shai Gilzer-Alexander was a little sluggish with 10/27 field throws, but led the game with 31 points, including 14 free throws. Jaylen Williams played like an all-around player with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals. The Thunder recorded 27 assists, which is equivalent to Minnesota's total number of field goal successes (29).
There are three major factors that Minnesota needs to solve for a rebound, selected by reporter Jack Harper.
First, Anthony Edwards is in a physical condition. Edwards twisted his ankle early in the game and entered the locker room before returning to the stage. He displayed explosive power, but overall he showed less aggressive movements than usual and only scored 18 points on 13 shooting attempts, making five shots. It is uncertain whether it was due to injury or Thunder's defense, but a rebound is needed. 메이저사이트
Second, the Thunder managed turnovers. Minnesota committed 19 turnovers in the first game, which resulted in the Thunder allowing a whopping 31 points. Notably, the Thunder lost 18 points through 11 turnovers in the first half alone. On the other hand, the Thunder committed 15 turnovers but lost only 10 points.
Third, the team's shooting efficiency has been restored. Minnesota attempted 51 three-point shots on the day, but made only 15 to end up with a success rate of 29.4 percent. Notably, three-point shots at corners were even more serious at 5/21. In addition, when looking at the three-point shooting success rate of key Minnesota players in the first round, Dante DiVinchenjo (2/12), Nickel Alexander-Walker (2/9), Naz Reid 0% (0/7), and Mike Conley 20% (1/5) showed a total of 6/33, making the offensive more difficult.
Minnesota also scored only 20 points in the paint zone, and an offense that relied heavily on the outside led to poor scoring. The flow of the game itself turned sharply toward the Thunder from the third quarter, and there was no offensive shift to reverse it throughout the second half.
Reporter Harper emphasized, "All these problems can be fixed, but they must be solved before the second game." If Minnesota repeats its collapse in the third quarter, there is a good chance that it will give the Thunder this series a little bland.