MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The newest NBA MVP put his head down and dribbled toward the basket, an attempt by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lunge past one of the league's best perimeter defenders midway through the fourth quarter of another decisive victory by Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals.
After his right arm was subtly hooked by Gilgeous-Alexander at the beginning of the drive, Jaden McDaniels reached for the middle of his back and pushed Minnesota's tormentor with enough force to send him stumbling to the floor on Thursday with the Thunder up by 16 points.
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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, center, fights for the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, left, and forward Jalen Williams during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards goes up for a basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts after a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) is defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) and forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
McDaniels got a Flagrant 1 penalty and shrugged off the significance of the shove afterward. He had fouls to give, he said, so he used one. But it was a clear sign of frustration for the Timberwolves, who have so far seen their own championship aspirations overwhelmed by a well-constructed team chasing the title with a mix of poise, precision and relentlessness unseen anywhere else in these NBA playoffs.
“We've got to meet their aggression,” said Julius Randle, who had by far his worst performance of this postseason in Game 2 with just six points on 2-for-11 shooting and four turnovers.
The Thunder will take a 2-0 lead and a load of confidence and momentum into Game 3 on Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis.
“We've got to be desperate,” McDaniels said. “Every possession matters.”
One of the most discouraging developments for the Wolves from Game 2 was that they held the Thunder to 9-for-33 shooting from 3-point range and still lost by 15.
Deftly bucking the data-driven NBA trend away from midrange jumpers, the Thunder shot 63% on 2-pointers, many of them outside of the lane against a Wolves team that has established itself as big, fast and strong enough to consistently take away the rim and the perimeter.
“We have to do just a better job of contesting that. We’re trying to take away a lot of things. They do a great job of getting into those spots,” said Mike Conley, who at plus-19 is the only net-positive player for the Wolves in the series.
The rest of the guards in their usual eight-man rotation have been badly outscored during their time on the court. Anthony Edwards is a minus-45, Donte DiVincenzo is a minus-47, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a minus-20.
Just as critical as tightening up the middle of their defense for the Wolves will be getting Randle going again. After averaging 24 points on 52% shooting over his first 11 games of the playoffs, including Game 1 of this series, his struggle against the Thunder's intense ball pressure was so pronounced on Thursday that coach Chris Finch kept him on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.
“Probably just standing and spectating too much,” Randle said. “I've got to get myself into actions, get myself on the move. We know what type of defense they are. They’re going to swarm you.”
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Thunder got their wakeup call out of the way nearly three weeks ago when they wasted a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter and lost their second-round opener when Denver's Aaron Gordon hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.
The Nuggets presented several different defensive strategies that the Thunder ultimately figured out how to pivot away from on their way to winning the series in seven games. The Wolves have done the same so far, emptying the playbook in an attempt to keep Gilgeous-Alexander's slick-moving, smooth-shooting game in check and the role players from beating them beyond the arc.
But while the Wolves are superior defensively to the Nuggets, the Thunder used that experience to not practice the postseason art of quick adjustment — and cut their teeth in some close games. They took plenty of tactical and mental momentum, into this matchup.
“We had our backs against the wall and had to respond multiple times in that series,” coach Mark Daigneault said. "And now we have a different challenge. We’re up 2-0 going into their place. We know they’re going to play very aggressively, hard, comfortably at home, and now we’ve got to have the mental toughness to go and rise to that challenge.”
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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, center, fights for the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort, left, and forward Jalen Williams during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards goes up for a basket against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts after a play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) is defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) and forward Jaden McDaniels (3) during the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — Sixteen-year-old Arthur Brodard went to the Le Constellation bar with friends to celebrate the New Year. Long after a devastating fire, his mother still held out hope he might be one of the several injured people who remained unidentified after one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies.
Those people gave a glimmer of hope for families whose loved ones were missing in the aftermath of Thursday's fire at the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 40 people and injured more than 100 others.
“I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard, from Lausanne, Switzerland, told reporters Friday evening. “I want to know where my child is and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”
On Saturday, she told French broadcaster BFM TV that “we, parents, are starting to get tired ... and anger is starting to rise.”
Brodard said she received a message from her son just after midnight saying “Happy New Year, mom, I love you,” and she replied “Happy New Year, big guy, have a good time.” That was their last contact.
The severity of the burns has made it difficult to identify both injured and deceased, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples. In some cases, wallets and any identification documents inside were turned to ash in the flames. An Instagram account has filled up with photos of people who were unaccounted for, and friends and relatives begged for tips about their whereabouts.
On Saturday, regional police said the bodies of four victims — a boy and a girl, both aged 16, an 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, all Swiss — had been identified and handed over to their families. They said the identification of other victims was pressing on, and gave no further information.
“It's a wait that destroys people's stability,” said Elvira Venturella, an Italian psychologist working with the families of those who were at the bar. “And the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes to accept the uncertainty, not having information.”
Swiss officials acknowledged the prolonged heartache.
"The priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference.
Swiss officials said Friday afternoon that 119 people were injured, 113 of whom had been formally identified.
On Saturday, Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told reporters he had just been briefed by local authorities that the total number of injured stood at 121, five of whom hadn't yet been identified. He said 14 Italians were being treated in hospitals.
Cornado acknowledged that “there's a lot of stress," but said it was right for authorities to have a “strict procedure” and share information only when it is “accurate and 100% sure.”
Swiss police said Friday that the injured included more than 70 Swiss nationals and over 10 each from France and Italy, along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland.
A stream of mourners and well-wishers bearing flowers continued to flow to makeshift memorials of bouquets and candles outside Le Constellation, some consoling one another with hugs as they shed tears. “RIP you are all our children” said one of the handwritten notes.
Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the bar crowded with New Year's revelers around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
“We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could, we saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”
Many of the injured were in their teens to mid-20s, police said. Authorities planned to look into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.
Officials said they would also look at other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes. The region's top prosecutor has warned of possible prosecutions if any criminal liability is found.
The Valais region's top security official, Stéphane Ganzer, told SRF public radio that “such a huge accident with a fire in Switzerland means that something didn’t work — maybe the material, maybe the organization on the spot.” He added that “something didn’t work and someone made a mistake, I am sure of that.”
Nicolas Féraud, who heads the Crans-Montana municipality, told RTS radio he was “convinced” checks on the bar hadn’t been lax, the broadcaster reported.
Dazio reported from Berlin. Associated Press journalists Geir Moulson in Berlin and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
Flowers are placed in front of the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
A man runs in the early morning in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire in the Le Constellation bar left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Municipal workers move flowers closer to the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Candles and cuddly toys are placed near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Municipal workers move flowers closer to the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
People bring flowers and letters, reading "Rest in Peace", near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
People mourn behind flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
The sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations is seen in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday morning, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
People bring flowers and candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
People mourn behind flowers and letters near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
