In the third quarter of the Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss to Oklahoma City, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tried to drive right past his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Shai fell down, and the official called a foul on Nickeil.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker shut down his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in a play-in victory in 2023 that sent the Thunder home and clinched the Timberwolves’ second consecutive playoff berth.

Cousins Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have faced each other 15 times now in the NBA — including once in a play-in game — but never in a playoff series.