3 ways Minnesota Timberwolves can stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in must-win Game 5

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-1 to the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference finals. They must prioritize preventing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from going on scoring outbursts in a must-win Game 5 on Wednesday night.

As the Thunder’s go-to player on the offensive end, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.8 points per game in the series, contributing nearly 26% of OKC’s total scoring.

Here are three defensive strategies for the Wolves to slow SGA down.

3 ways Minnesota Timberwolves can stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in must-win Game 5

#1 Prevent sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the free-throw line

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is known for drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. In the regular season, 24% of his points came from the charity stripe. This figure increased to 27% in the playoffs as he averaged 8.1 free throws per game out of 29.5 total points per game.

In OKC's three wins this series, SGA has averaged 12 points per game from free throws. However, he managed just four points from the charity stripe and was held to a series-low 14 points, resulting in Minnesota’s 143-101 blowout win.

By defending without fouling, the Timberwolves can drastically reduce SGA’s efficiency.

#2 Wolves’ bigs help defense

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in drives per game in the regular season (20.6) and the playoffs (20.3), converting a majority of these opportunities into field goals made. The Timberwolves need their big men to counter this strategy.

In Game 3, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle’s presence in the paint was crucial. They blocked SGA’s driving lanes, limiting him to just two made field goals on 18 drives. SGA was also forced to pass 55.6% of the time on his drives — a jump of over 16% compared to his playoff average.

Replicating that effort in Game 5 will be essential to disrupt the MVP’s scoring ability.

#3 Focus on off-ball movement

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s off-ball movement is an underrated aspect of his offensive arsenal. He exploits the gap in the defense with his timely cutting.

To counter this, the Timberwolves must stay engaged even when SGA is away from the ball. His primary defenders - Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker – need to apply pressure even if they are required to fight through screens.