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5 things that stood out from Timberwolves' Game 2 loss to Thunder

Julius Randle's dud, Jaden McDaniels' flagrant and the MVP playing like the MVP were among notable events Thursday night.
Nolan O'Hara|
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) in the fourth quarter during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 22, 2025.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) in the fourth quarter during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on May 22, 2025. | Brett Rojo / Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have their work cut out for them if they want to make the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Timberwolves would have to dig themselves out of a 2-0 series deficit in the Western Conference finals after falling 118-103 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 Thursday night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

Frankly, the Thunder looked like the much-better team most of the night, and the Wolves will have plenty of figuring out to do heading into Game 3 as the series shifts back to Minneapolis. Here are five things that stood out from the Game 2 loss:

Julius Randle has a dud

Randle has arguably been Minnesota's most consistent player this postseason, but he had a rare dud Thursday night. He certainly didn't follow up from his dominant start to Game 1, and was a relative no-show from start to finish in Game 2.

It was such a rough game from Randle — who finished with just six points on 2-for-11 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and four turnovers — that coach Chris Finch elected to go with Naz Reid over him down the stretch. Randle did not see the floor in the fourth quarter. Finch said postgame he went with Reid, who tallied 10 points and eight boards, in the fourth quarter because Reid was having a good game and Finch hoped he'd be able to stretch the floor with Reid in the lineup.

Randle had a plus-minus of minus-15 in his 31 minutes. Reid was a minus-6 in 28 minutes.

The MVP plays like it

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was honored pregame after he was named NBA's MVP on Wednesday, and when he took the court a few moments later, he played like it. Gilgeous-Alexander stopped Wolves runs with his buckets, and every time he pulled up for a midrange jumper, you just expect it to drop. He ultimately finished with a game-high 38 points on 12-for-21 shooting, eight assists, three rebounds, three steals and was a plus-25 — second best of the game — in his 42 minutes.

An aggressive Anthony Edwards

Edwards vowed to be more aggressive after Game 1, and he certainly was. Edwards attempted twice as many shots — 26 to his 13 in Game 1 — in the follow up on Thursday, and finished with a team-high 32 points. But despite his best efforts — Edwards also had nine rebounds, six assists, a block and ZERO turnovers — the Wolves lost his 40 minutes by 22 points.

Edwards did struggle from 3-point range, making just 1 of 9, and shot 12 for 26 from the field overall. Though Edwards would rather have the win, he did hit a new milestone, becoming the Timberwolves' all-time playoff leading scorer during the third quarter, surpassing Kevin Garnett. But despite Edwards' efforts, the Timberwolves still face a 2-0 series deficit.

Frustrations boil over

It's no secret the Timberwolves get frustrated with the foul calls Gilgeous-Alexander draws. For Jaden McDaniels, those frustrations appeared to boil over during the fourth quarter. When defending Gilgeous-Alexander in the frame, McDaniels wanted an offensive foul call after he got hooked. That call never came, and when Gilgeous-Alexander attempted to turn up court, McDaniels gave him a little shove to the ground. After a review, that resulted in a Flagrant 1 foul for McDaniels.

McDaniels, though, downplayed his frustrations.

"I just wanted to foul him, for real," McDaniels told reporters postgame. "I wasn't even mad, I just had fouls to use."

McDaniels did step up offensively for the Wolves while Randle didn't have it Thursday night. He knocked down a quartet of 3s and finished with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting in addition to his three blocks and two rebounds for the night.

Minnesota Mike

Mike Conley may just be averaging five points per game so far this series, but the box score shows he's making an impact in other areas. Thursday night, Conley was the only Timberwolves player with a positive plus-minus, finishing as a plus-14 in his 28 minutes. He was the only Wolves player in the positives in Game 1, too, finishing that one plus-5 in 23 minutes.

Quick math has it that the Wolves are plus-19 when Conley is on the floor. When he's off the floor? Minus-60.

Donte DiVincenzo, who assumes point duties when Conley's off the court, was a minus-27. He was a minus-20 in Game 1.

Conley only finished with three points, three assists and three rebounds Thursday night, but the impact he makes running the offense and calming Minnesota down when things get rough is evident. When he's not on the floor, the Wolves have a tendency to let frustrations take over, force shots and make things more difficult on themselves. While Conley is 37 years old, perhaps the veteran needs a heavier work load to help Minnesota maintain some offensive momentum in this series.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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