Rested Timberwolves look listless in 114-88 loss to Thunder in Game 1 of Western Conference finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Minnesota hadn't played in nearly a week and Oklahoma City had just played in a Game 7 two days earlier.

It was the Timberwolves who lacked energy as the Thunder rolled to a 114-88 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night.

Minnesota coach Chris Finch said his team was just a bit off.

“There were a lot of good shots out there," he said. "I think we’ve got to clean things up a little bit. You know, sometimes the passes were late, sometimes we weren’t quite shot ready. Sometimes we need to turn to other plays, you know. But I did think that we got a number of really good looks.”

Julius Randle scored 20 points in the first half to help the Timberwolves take a 48-44 lead, but Oklahoma City shot 61.9% from the field after the break while Minnesota shot just 35%.

Randle scored just eight points in the second half and only took five shots.

“Whether there’s misses or makes, we’ve still got to defend at a high level," Randle said. "And I think that was probably the difference in the second half.”

Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, who had averaged 26.5 points per game in the playoffs, scored 18 on 5-for-13 shooting. No other Minnesota players scored in double figures.

Edwards never delivered one of his highlight-reel dunks as Oklahoma City packed the paint. The Timberwolves made just 15 of 51 3-pointers.

“It’s kind of hard to get to the paint honestly," Edwards said. "I mean, regardless, that’s my game. But they definitely took that aspect of my game away tonight from getting downhill. So good job to those guys.”

Minnesota center Rudy Gobert was a nonfactor. He committed two quick fouls and finished with two points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. Finch said he took the 7-foot-1 Gobert out and went with a smaller lineup to see if he could shake things up.

Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 20 of his 31 points in the second half to help Oklahoma City outscore the Timberwolves 70-40.

Minnesota's sluggishness showed in how it defended Gilgeous-Alexander. The MVP finalist and scoring champion made 11 of 14 free throws and played a role in Jaden McDaniels fouling out in just 24 minutes of action.

In two examples of Minnesota's mental state, Edwards drew a technical early in the game for throwing the ball at Gilgeous-Alexander and later picked up another foul for shoving Gilgeous-Alexander in the chest.

“There was a lot of frustration out there, but we’ve got to — we know we talked about that before the series started," Finch said. "And we have to be able to kind of put that aside and get on with the next play.”

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, right, attempts a block on a shot by Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center, drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, left, forward Julius Randle (30) and guard Mike Conley (10) during the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) competes for a rebound against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2), guard Isaiah Joe (11) and forward Jalen Williams (8) during the first half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) is double-teamed by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) and forward Jalen Williams (8) during the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government accused the United States of attacking civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard around 2 a.m. local time Saturday in the capital, Caracas.

The Pentagon and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power.

People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.

“The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes,” said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. “We felt like the air was hitting us.”

Venezuela’s government, in the statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.

“People to the streets!” the statement said. “The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.”

The statement added that President Nicolás Maduro had “ordered all national defense plans to be implemented” and declared “a state of external disturbance.”

This comes as the U.S. military has been targeting, in recent days, alleged drug-smuggling boats. On Friday, Venezuela said it was open to negotiating an agreement with the U.S. to combat drug trafficking.

Maduro also said in a pretaped interview aired Thursday that the U.S. wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the monthslong pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.

Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes on boats in September.

U.S. President Donald Trump for months had threatened that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land. The U.S. has also seized sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela, and Trump ordered a blockade of others in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy.

The U.S. military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes is 35 and the number of people killed is at least 115, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.

They followed a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America, including the arrival in November of the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, which added thousands more troops to what was already the largest military presence in the region in generations.

Trump has justified the boat strikes as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported on the explosions in Caracas on Saturday, showing images of the Venezuelan capital. Iran has been close to Venezuela for years, in part due to their shared enmity of the U.S.

Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Residents evacuate a building near the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Smoke raises at La Carlota airport after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)