The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-91 to advance to the NBA Finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander topped all scorers with 34 points. Chet Holmgren added 22 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks, while Luguentz Dort contributed 24 points for the Thunder. The win puts the team in the Championship for the second time since the organization left Seattle.
Game Facts
Minnesota started the game slowly, scoring only 9 points in the first quarter and falling behind with a 26-9 deficit. They struggled to recover from this early setback. In the second period, the Thunder continued to dominate, outscoring the Timberwolves 39-23. By halftime, the Thunder led 65-32. The Timberwolves had their best quarter of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Thunder 30-23. However, it felt like their effort came just a little too late.
Julius Randle, who has a player option and can become a free agent this summer, led his team with 24 points. Anthony Edwards contributed 18 points, shooting 7 for 18 from the field and 1 for 7 from beyond the three-point line. The NBA would like to position Anthony Edwards as the new face of the league once LeBron James retires. However at just 23 years old, I’m not sure Edwards is ready for that responsibility.
What’s next
The Thunder will now relax and await the outcome of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Currently, the Pacers lead the series 3-1 and are favored to win the series. However, the Thunder have swept both the Pacers and the Knicks in their head-to-head matchups. If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were to win the NBA Championship this year, he would become the first NBA MVP to achieve both accomplishments since Shaquille O’Neal did it playing for the Lakers during the 1999-2000 season.
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