Fresh off the back of a dominant 42-point victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be looking to restore parity in the Western Conference semi-finals on Tuesday.
Having won the opening two games, the Thunder saw their lead slip away on Saturday night and will head into Game 4 looking to regain full control of the series ahead of their return to the Paycom Center.
Match preview
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The Target Center witnessed one of the most dominant displays from Minnesota in a playoff game as the Timberwolves ran riot in a 143-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to slash their deficit in the finals.
Determined to keep his side in the fight, Anthony Edwards turned in an impressive individual display as he knocked down 30 points, six assists and was one rebound shy of his fourth double-double of the postseason.
Having made just one of nine attempts from beyond the arc in Game Two's defeat, Edwards also found his long-range shot at the weekend, going five-of-eight from 3-point range and contributing 25% of the Timberwolves' 20
It was a solid contribution across the board for Minnesota as Edwards finished as one of seven players on double digits, including Julius Randle, who shook off a horror six-point display from Game 2 to notch 26 points, while rookie Terrence Shannon Jr knocked down 15 points in an eye-catching display off the bench.
Having suffered two defeats in the first two games of the series in Oklahoma, Chris Finch's men have now got their dreams of a first-ever NBA finals appearance back on track and will look to level matters before heading back to the Paycom Center on Thursday.
In his first game since being named 2024-25 NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tallied just 14 points on 30% shooting from the field in Game 3 on Sunday, highlighting the Thunder's struggles.
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Gilgeous-Alexander finished with the joint-most points for the Oklahoma City Thunder, alongside Ajay Mitchell, while Chet Holmgren and Dillion Jones notched 10 points apiece, with Jalen Williams scoring 13.
Having shot 50% as a team in the first two games, Mark Daigneault's men made just 35 of their 86 attempts at the Target Center, — including 12 for 40 in the first half — as they struggled to impose themselves on the road once again.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost three of their most recent four games on enemy territory playoffs, with a 92-87 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the conference semi-finals on May 11 being the exception.
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Team News
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With Rob Dillingham back to full fitness, the Minnesota Timberwolves boast a clean bill of health heading into Tuesday's crunch Game 4, giving Finch the luxury of a full house to select from.
With his standout display at the weekend, Edwards has now scored 30+ points in four of Minnesota's last six games in the postseason and the 23-year-old will look to spearhead the Timberwolves comeback.
There are no changes on the injury front for the Oklahoma City Thunder as they remain without Serbian guard Nikola Topic, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season through a severe knee problem.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the playoffs leading scorer with 32.7 points per game, was held to just 14 points on Saturday — his fewest points in an NBA game this season — and it will be interesting to see how the newly-crowned MVP bounces back.
Minnesota Timberwolves possible starting 5:
Conley, Edwards, Gobert, McDaniels, Randle
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting 5:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Williams, Holmgren, Hartenstein
We say: The Minnesota Timberwolves to win by 5+ points.
Having lost both games in Oklahoma, the Minnesota Timberwolves know they must avoid defeat in any of their two home games ahead of the return to Paycom Center. Finch's men responded with a dominant victory at the weekend and we are backing them to level the series with another victory on Tuesday.
Joshua Ojele
