The Oklahoma City Thunder are battle-tested despite being the NBA’s youngest squad. They are one victory away from reaching the playoffs after a huge win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who visit the Oklahoma City Thunder today, are the only club standing in their way. This means that Oklahoma City’s season might conclude precisely where it began, with the Thunder playing their season opener in Minnesota nearly six months ago.
While the Timberwolves won that game in October, this Thunder club is quite different. They’ve improved dramatically this season and are now one of the most competitive teams in the Western Conference. Minnesota did win three of the four games versus OKC this season, but all four occurred before the conclusion of the calendar year. Oklahoma City was 11-18 on the season when these two clubs last met. The Thunder have gone 29-24 since then.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are battle-tested despite being the NBA’s youngest squad. They are one victory away from reaching the playoffs after a huge win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who visit the Oklahoma City Thunder today, are the only club standing in their way. This means that Oklahoma City’s season might conclude precisely where it began, with the Thunder playing their season opener in Minnesota nearly six months ago.
While the Timberwolves won that game in October, this Thunder club is quite different. They’ve improved dramatically this season and are now one of the most competitive teams in the Western Conference. Minnesota did win three of the four games versus OKC this season, but all four occurred before the conclusion of the calendar year. Oklahoma City was 11-18 on the season when these two clubs last met. The Thunder have gone 29-24 since then.
The Wolves will be shorthanded in this game due to injuries to Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels. Furthermore, Rudy Gobert is not totally healthy due to back spasms. As a result, the frontcourt in Minnesota is considerably depleted. This is good news for the Thunder, who play small and don’t have a true centre.
While not as speedy as the Thunder, the Timberwolves are faster than the New Orleans club they faced on Wednesday. Furthermore, the frontcourt duo of Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns will provide a similar challenge as Jonah Valanciunas did against the Pelicans only two days ago.
Minnesota has a top-ten defence that is quite disruptive. Despite a weak offence, the Timberwolves finished in the top five in thefts and blocks during the regular season. Despite having a top three field goal % as a team, the Wolves had the league’s 23rd highest offensive rating. Minnesota just does not take many shots, being in the league’s lowest half in terms of attempts. This is partly due to Minnesota’s inability to take care of the ball and make the most of every possession, as the team turned the ball over more than 15 times a game.
With that in mind, the regular season metrics don’t tell the whole picture of this Timberwolves club right now. They were without Towns for the most of the year, resulting them an inability to create an identity. They now seem to be much more dissimilar without Reid and McDaniels.
Anthony Edwards, who is coming off a horrible performance and will be aiming to rebound, will most likely be Minnesota’s best player on the court tonight. He hit 3-of-17 from the field in a defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, considerably below his usual effectiveness. He’ll be a significant role on both sides of the court in this game versus OKC. To compensate for Edwards’ lack of scoring on Tuesday, Mike Conley shot 6-of-8 from outside the arc, an uncommonly solid shooting night for him. The Wolves shot 39% from deep on 41 tries in that game, so the Thunder’s perimeter defence will have to be a focus tonight.
In this elimination game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey will most likely carry the offensive burden against Minnesota. They each scored 30 points on Wednesday, but it may be more difficult tonight. Gobert, the Timberwolves’ premier rim protector, clogs the paint.
Both of these Thunder guards score a lot of points when they drive to the basket, so keeping Gobert off the floor or pushing him out of the paint is critical in this game. One method will be to get Jaylin Williams going early. He’s likely to defend Gobert and has the potential to spread the floor. Williams opened 0-of-6 from distance on Wednesday, after shooting over 40% from deep during the regular season. If he can get hot early, that will set the tone and assist Oklahoma City’s drives stretch the floor.
Most notably, Oklahoma City’s poor start was almost fatal, but Lu Dort played one of his greatest performances of the season. He scored 20 points in the first half as the remainder of the Thunder offence laboured. Because Minnesota lacks a perimeter defender as outstanding as Herb Jones, shutting down the MVP contender will require more of a team effort than it did in New Orleans.
Isaiah Joe, who can hit several three-pointers on any given night, struggled against the Pelicans, so he might be aiming for a rebound game of his own. He has the potential to be a game-changing player for the Thunder if he performs to his full potential.
There are several things that will influence the result of this game, but it all begins with the Thunder’s ability to defeat the Timberwolves’ two centres.
The winner of this game will face the Nuggets in a seven-game playoff series that begins on Sunday. The other will be sent home and the offseason will begin.
With elimination approaching, it’s the biggest game of the season for both Minnesota and Oklahoma City.
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