The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after cruising to a 124-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday at Paycom Center.
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 34 points and eight assists to lead the Thunder. He was particularly productive in the first half, scoring or assisting on 32 points to match Minnesota’s total after two quarters. Gilgeous-Alexander was named Western Conference finals MVP.
Julius Randle paced the Timberwolves with 24 points while Anthony Edwards contributed 19. After a slow start that generated just nine points in the first quarter, Minnesota struggled to maintain possession and generally looked out of sorts. The Thunder flexed its dominant defense with 14 steals and eight blocks while limiting Edwards to his third sub 40-percent field goal game of the series.
A 24-foot dagger from OKC guard Lu Dort with six-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter put an exclamation point on the rout as fans sang “Hey, hey, goodbye,” to the Timberwolves.
Now, the Thunder awaits the result of the Eastern Conference finals with the knowledge that they will host the East champion to open the NBA Finals. The Indiana Pacers hold a 3-1 advantage over the New York Knicks with Game 5 slated for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for June 5.
Thunder are dominant once again
This time, there might be no stopping them.
The Thunder advanced through the Western Conference finals with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Oklahoma City will meet the winner between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks when the Finals begin on June 5.
It will be the Thunder’s first appearance since Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden led the franchise to the NBA Finals in 2012. The Thunder lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat that season, giving LeBron James his first championship.
Now, the West’s top-seeded Thunder, despite entering the season as the league’s youngest team, will be the favorite to win it all. Gilgeous-Alexander is a major reason, and he showed why again with another dominant 34-point, seven-rebound, eight-assist closeout performance. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists in the series, earning Western Conference Finals MVP.
With co-stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder possess a similar three-headed monster to that trio Thunder fans loved in the franchise’s early days. What separates this squad from that one — and will likely be the determining factor in the Finals — is defensive dominance.
At halftime in Game 5, the Thunder hounded the Timberwolves into more turnovers (14) than made field goals (12). OKC’s lead stood at 33 at that point and swelled to as much as 37.
It was the Thunder’s sixth win by at least 15 points in their 16 postseason games.
Now, they are just four wins shy of capturing their first championship in the Oklahoma City era. — Darnell Mayberry, NBA senior writer
Ant needs to get into championship shape
This is the second consecutive postseason Anthony Edwards will head home looking like he’s out of gas. Once again, the big need for him is to get into world-class shape. Play-until-June shape. Championship shape.
Last year, he was completely spent at the end of the West finals, having been summarily cooked by Kyrie Irving. But his fatigue was understandable after an epic seven-game series against Denver.
But this year, the Wolves beat the Lakers and Warriors in 5 — and the win over Golden State didn’t require him dealing with Steph Curry. Yet, Edwards has looked gassed since the second half of Game 4. Perhaps his Herculean effort in Game 3 took what he had left out of him.
Yes, the Thunder’s defense on him is special and designed to wear him down. But it seemed he hit empty trying to drive against OKC’s perimeter stalwarts. He’s not doing a lot of talking. He’s visibly winded, grabbing his shorts. He couldn’t even come close to impacting Game 5.
He did play last summer at the Olympics in France. But several others did, too — including SGA — so that can’t be a good enough reason to be out of energy this time of year. Tired is fine. Too exhausted to impose his will is not going to cut it. He’s going to have to figure out this conditioning element.
He’s only 23. So he can take that next step. And after two embarrassing exits, he should have the motivation to do so. But if he wants to win a title, and the Wolves can’t make major upgrades, his load doesn’t figure to get any lighter. — Marcus Thompson II, columnist
Wolves stall in conference finals again
A dominant first quarter by the finals-bound Thunder tested every ounce of the Timberwolves’ resolve before Game 5’s opening period ended.
Minnesota opened the night with its lowest-scoring quarter of the season as the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began the early workings of another masterpiece. The Timberwolves’ nine first-quarter points were almost tripled by the MVP’s output via scoring and assists by then (24 points).
Stacks of missed shots, turnovers and defensive lapses made it impossible for the Timberwolves to get within striking distance. They took almost 20 minutes to crack the 20-point threshold, which should worry a team with a payroll over $200 million.
Although Minnesota has clinched more Western Conference finals berths in the last two seasons (well, two) than its 34 years of existence, most of the Timberwolves’ series against the Thunder showed the gap between the franchises. Of course, the latter’s finals run is another step in separating from the league, but Minnesota must gauge what steps to take to inch closer to the title round.
The possible free agencies of two key players (Julius Randle, Naz Reid), the future of an aging Mike Conley and the long-term viability of defensive anchor Rudy Gobert will be key puzzles for the Timberwolves to solve in an effort to get over the hump. — James Jackson, NBA editor
(Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
