The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves will get their Western Conference finals matchup underway with a meeting at PayCom Center on Wednesday.
The hosts needed seven matches to see off the Denver Nuggets in the second round, while their visitors edged past the Golden State Warriors 4-1 in a gentleman's sweep.
Match preview
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After claiming a routine 4-0 series win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, the Thunder headlined into their clash against the Nuggets preparing for arguably the biggest test of their title credentials.
Trailing 2-1 after the opening three matches, Mark Daigneault's men won two in a row to go 3-2 up but were soon pegged back in Game Six to force a win-or-go-home contest on Sunday evening featuring the two MVP candidates, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.
It was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who came up trumps as the guard became only the fourth player in NBA history to drop 35 points on zero turnovers in a Game Seven alongside Jayson Tatum, CJ McCollum and Dirk Nowitzki.
Back in the conference finals for the first time since 2016, when they had the star duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Thunder have arguably their best chance to win a maiden NBA championship but will first have to fend off the Timberwolves.
With four previous meetings against the away side this year yielding two wins apiece, Wednesday's hosts have had a mixed record in this fixture of late but will be confident of edging ahead in the series with a win here.
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After taking down the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening phase, the Timberwolves were handed another tricky assignment in the Golden State Warriors, who claimed an emphatic 99-88 triumph in Game One.
However, that win came at an expense, with Stephen Curry picking up a Grade One hamstring problem, which would later rule him out for the remainder of the series, and Chris Finch's men took full advantage by winning the next four matches.
Having defeated two heavyweight teams in the Lakers and the Warriors over 10 games, the Timberwolves have every reason to be confident that they can down the number one seed in the West to reach a first-ever NBA finals.
Averaging the highest point differential between the regular season (18.7) and playoffs (23.9) of any Timberwolves player, Julius Randle has really come to the fore this postseason to provide some much-needed offensive assistance to Anthony Edwards.
Currently on a 4-1 record across their last five away matches, Wednesday's visitors have been near-perfect on the road lately as they look to emerge victorious for the seventh time in nine trips to Oklahoma.
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Team News
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Twenty-year-old Rob Dillingham remains the only injury concern for the Timberwolves here as he continues to battle with an ankle problem since early May.
Anthony Edwards's 26.5 points per game is the third-most of any remaining player in the playoffs, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Brunson, making him one to keep an eye on.
Nikola Topic will not play any part for the Oklahoma City Thunder, having torn his anterior cruciate ligament, but the Serbian is expected to be fit for the start of next season.
Off the back of a rough Game Six where he scored a career-low six points in the playoffs, Jalen Williams bounced back in superb fashion last time out with a 24-point display and will be looking to deliver the goods once again.
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting five:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort; Williams, Holmgren; Hartenstein
Minnesota Timberwolves possible starting five:
Conley, Edwards; McDaniels, Randle; Gobert
We say: Thunder to win by 4+ points
The Timberwolves have had the advantage of resting for a lengthier period, but the Thunder remain huge favourites to come out on top.
We are backing the home side to emerge victorious in front of their fans and take the first step towards reaching the NBA finals.
Adepoju Marvellous
