Former Gonzaga star clinches NBA Finals berth

Chet Holmgren's learned to embrace every step of his NBA journey.

From suffering a season-derailing injury to putting together historic numbers as a rookie, the 23-year-old from Minnesota has experienced the highs of being selected No. 2 overall in the draft, as well as the lows of being unable to walk due to a pelvic fracture.

The next stop on Holmgren's path: the NBA Finals.

With a blowout victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night, Holmgren's Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched a spot in the championship round and await one of the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers to face off for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Led by newly named MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder punched a ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 in emphatic fashion, crushing Anthony Edwards and company in a 124-94 win from Paycom Center. Holmgren fueled a strong start before finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Gilgeous-Alexander paced in scoring with 34 points to go along with eight dimes and seven boards.

OKC dominated from start to finish after Holmgren got the offense going with a 3-pointer and a transition dunk, settling down the Thunder faithful and putting his team out in front for good. The Thunder shot 52.8% from the field and scored 18 points off 21 turnovers from Minnesota, which was held to just 41.2% shooting.

"We have 17 dudes on the roster who bring it every single night," Holmgren told ESPN postgame. "Doesn't matter if it's a close-out game or not; when everybody's ready to play and they bring it, it's contagious, and we saw that tonight."

OKC's deep array of young talent was key to Mark Daigneault's squad pulling off an NBA-best 68 wins in the regular season, especially during a two month stretch in which their 7-foot-1 big man was sidelined with injury. Holmgren sustained a pelvic fracture after taking a hard fall against the Golden State Warriors in November. Since his return, he's been crucial to the Thunder's efforts on the defensive end of the floor as a reliable rim protector and help-side defender.

"It's a step in the journey," Holmgren said. "You have to enjoy them all. But we still have a season to play, so we're not done, but I can never take it for granted."

Holmgren becomes the sixth former Gonzaga player to reach the NBA Finals, joining an exclusive group that includes John Stockton, Ronny Turiaf, Adam Morrison, Austin Daye and Kelly Olynyk; and is the first since Olynyk appeared in the 2020 Finals with the Miami Heat. Stockton is the only former Zag to start in a Finals game, though that'll change next week when Holmgren lines up against either the Pacers or Knicks.

Either way, both teams in the 2025 NBA Finals will have one former Gonzaga player on its roster. With the Pacers leading the Knicks 3-1 in their best-of-seven series, Andrew Nembhard is just one away from seeing his former college teammate on the NBA's biggest stage. Unless Anton Watson's Knicks can pull off three straight wins, it's shaping up to be Pacers-Thunder in the championship series.