The Oklahoma City Thunder can advance to the NBA Finals with victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 on Wednesday.
Thunder vs Timberwolves Game 5 Preview
Back on home soil for Game 5, the Thunder will proceed to the NBA championship for the first time since 2012 if they can overcome the Timberwolves at the PayCom Center tonight.
It will officially mark a new era of success in Oklahoma City over a decade after the franchise went to war with now-legends of the game in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
The stars appear to be aligning for Oklahoma City. After winning 68 games in the regular season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named league MVP and the 26-year-old has been nothing short of a phenomenon in the playoffs too.
In Game 4, the Canadian recorded a near triple-double of 40 points, nine rebounds and ten assists to lead the Thunder to a narrow victory in Minnesota and put Mark Daigneault’s side within touching distance of a conference championship.
Not only was it Gilgeous-Alexander on fire as partner-in-crime Jalen Williams added 34 points, three rebounds and five assists alongside 21 points and seven rebounds from Chet Holmgren.
Returning to Oklahoma is more than welcomed by the Thunder who boast a 7-1 record at home this playoffs with a plus-191 scoring differential, so it’s no surprise to see the spread as big as 8.5 in their favor.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards seemed to go missing in Game 4 with just 16 points on 13 shot attempts, reminiscent of his Game 1 performance with 18 points on the same number of tries.
Julius Randle suffered a similar fate, recording five points, seven rebounds and three assists after scoring 28 and 24 in Games 1 and 3 respectively. Talent wise, Minnesota simply can’t lay up with Oklahoma City, but you’d expect their star men to put up a better fight than this.
Randle doesn’t want to put the ball on the floor and every time he does it usually springs a mistake. The Thunder defense knows that very well and each time it happens they react accordingly and efficiently.
Thunder guards Lu Dort and Alex Caruso have done an especially tremendous job keeping Edwards quiet, sending multiple bodies his way and forcing the youngster to play out of double teams which has led to increased turnovers.
After a 42-point demolition of the Thunder to bounce back in Game 3, all the momentum the Timberwolves held looks to have vanished and it’d be a great surprise if Minnesota were able to extend this series further.
Oklahoma City is worthy title favorites and primed for success in a similar way the Boston Celtics were in 2024, holding all the aces in the lead up to the postseason and delivering on the biggest stage as expected.
They have all the pieces, an MVP leading the way in Gilgeous-Alexander with an All-Star second option in Williams, Holmgren will no doubt be an All-Star in the future while Dort, Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein are all elite role players.
WATCH: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s career-high 40 points in Game 4
Thunder vs Timberwolves Game 5 Injury Report
Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries
G Nikola Topic (knee; out)
Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries
No injuries to report
What TV Channel Is Thunder Vs Timberwolves Game 5 On?
Game 5 of Thunder vs Timberwolves will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
