For the second time since moving from Seattle in 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Finals. On Wednesday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the Thunder trounced the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 to win the Western Conference best out of seven series four games to one.
Five Thunder players reached double digits in total points. Canadian guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the National Basketball Association most valuable player this year, led the team with 34 points. Meanwhile, center Chet Holmgren of Minneapolis, Minnesota had 22 points, All-Star shooting guard Jalen Williams of Denver, Colorado had 19 points, Canadian small forward Luguentz Dort had 12 points, and shooting guard Isaiah Joe of Fort Smith, Arkansas had 11 points while coming off the bench.
What was most impressive from the Thunder’s play in game five was how dominant their defense was in the opening 12 minutes. Minnesota only scored nine points in that time as Oklahoma City built a commanding 26-9 lead. Only two Timberwolves players scored points as Anthony Edwards had six points and Julius Randle had three points. Minnesota only made three of 20 field goal attempts for an abysmal shooting percentage of .150.
Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be extremely consistent. He averaged 32.7 points in the regular season, 29.8 points per game in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and 31.4 points per game in the five games in the Western Conference Final against the Timberwolves.
Oklahoma City now awaits their NBA Finals opponent. They will face either the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers. The Pacers lead the Eastern Conference Final three games to one with game five in New York on Thursday night.
The Thunder previously went to the NBA Finals in 2012, but lost in five games to the Miami Heat. The Seattle SuperSonics (the team that moved to Oklahoma City in 2008) went to the NBA Finals three times. They lost in seven games to the Washington Bullets in 1978, won in five games to beat the Bullets in 1979, and then lost in six games to the Chicago Bulls in 1996.
