The Minnesota Timberwolves are back on home court in the playoffs as they welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Target Center in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday morning.
While Timberwolves must dig themselves out of a deep hole after falling 2-0 down in the series with Wednesday's defeat, OKC will look to strengthen their chances of reaching the NBA finals for the first time since the 2011-2012 campaign.
Match preview
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The Minnesota Timberwolves' dreams of reaching a first-ever NBA finals took a hit on Wednesday morning when they fell to a 118-103 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals.
Having endured a cold shooting display in Game 1 on Wednesday, when he tallied 18 points, Antony Edwards scored 32 points nine rebounds and six assists at the Paycom Center to keep Minnesota in the fight.
However, there was little contribution across the board from his teammates as Julius Randle, who has knocked down 24+ points in each of the previous four games, finished with just six points while Rudy Gobert hit just five points in 30 minutes of action.
Edwards finished as one of four players on digits for Minnesota, including 10 from Naz Reid, 22 from Jaden McDaniels, who enjoyed his second-highest scoring display in the playoffs, and 17 from Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a solid contribution off the bench.
Prior to that, the Timberwolves brushed aside Western Conference giants Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in five games before losing Game 1 of the finals 114-88 in the first of their two trips to the PayCom Center.
It will be interesting to see how Chris Finch's men respond on Sunday when they return to the Target Center as they have not lost three back-to-back games since suffering defeats in each of the first three games to start the year.
Minnesota will be backing themselves to pull one back in front of their home supporters this weekend as they are on a run of nine wins from their last 10 games at Target Center — with a 99-88 loss against the Warriors in Game 1 of the playoff semi-finals on May 7 being the exception.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder shot 50% from the field on Wednesday to take Game 2 and move into pole position in the series as they eye a first NBA finals appearance since 2012 when they lost 4-1 against the Miami Heat.
In his first game after being crowned NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2024-25 season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on a show at the Paycom Center, knocking down a game-high 38 points to go with eight assists to spearhead OKC to a vital 2-0 victory.
Offensive partner Jalen Williams notched 22 points and Chet Holmgren netted a playoff second-highest 22 points, and while no other player crossed double figures, the Thunder held their own to get the job down and take full control of the series.
The goal for Mark Daigneault's men will be to take at least one of the two games at the Target Center before returning home, where they are on a 14-2 run since March 20 and have won seven of their eight matches in the playoffs — with the narrow 121-119 loss against the Denver Nuggets on May 6 being the exception.
The Oklahoma City Thunder head into Sunday's Game 3 with a 4-2 record from their six games against the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, including three victories from their most recent four encounters since February 24.
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Team News
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Having missed 15 consecutive games through an ankle injury, Dillingham Rob returned to action against OKC on Wednesday in a two-minute cameo and the 20-year-old guard will be assessed ahead of this weekend's clash.
Gilgeous-Alexander racked up an impressive 71 votes to claim the 2024-25 NBA MVP award, edging out the likes of Nikola Jokic, former two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and LeBron James.
With 32 points in Wednesday's victory, the Canadian forward, who is the leading scorer in the postseason with 32.7 points per game, has equalled his record of five consecutive 30-point playoff games.
On the injury front, the Thunder remain without the services of Serbian guard Nikola Topic, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season through a severe knee problem.
Minnesota Timberwolves possible starting 5:
Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Randle, Gobert
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting 5:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Williams, Holmgren, Hartenstein
We say: The Oklahoma City Thunder to win by 3+ points.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have proven too tough an opponent for the Minnesota Timberwolves and will be looking to place one foot firmly in the finals with another dominant display here. While home advantage gives Minnesota an extra edge, we predict Daigneault's men will come out on top and stretch their lead in the series, albeit in a much closer contest.
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Joshua Ojele
