OKC Thunder Dominate Minnesota in Game 5, Advance to NBA Finals

Heading into Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder were 48 minutes of basketball away from their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 2012. With plenty on the line, OKC needed a top-notch performance.

Saying they got that out of their entire roster might be an understatement. OKC took down the Timberwolves 124-94 to move on to the NBA Finals, behind impactful and impressive performances from across the board.

From the jump, OKC brought more energy and effort than the Minnesota Timberwolves did. They weren't shooting incredibly, but the effort on defense was overpowering. By the game's end, that number of turnovers had finalized at 21.

Enough can't be said about the defensive pressure OKC enforced on the Timberwolves. There were no clean looks, which showed up on tape and the stat sheet. Alex Caruso was a big part of that, seemingly finding himself at multiple points at once on the court. He recorded four steals, which was proof of that.

As if everything wasn't already going right for the Thunder, their big three posted outstanding performances. Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34 points on 14-for-25 shooting, along with seven rebounds and eight assists. Forward Jalen Williams finished with 19 points and eight rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting, while big man Chet Holmgren went for 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Combined, the trio scored 50 first-half points.

OKC's dominance was on display for all of the first half, so much so that they held onto a 65-32 lead at the end of the first half. It's fair to say that everything went in favor of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the opening 24 minutes, giving their shell-shocked opponent a potentially insurmountable hole to climb out of.

The Thunder offense cooled off in the third quarter thanks to a Minnesota defensive switch from man to zone. It forced the Thunder into more perimeter shots that simply weren't going in, while converting on some fast breaks and drives to the rim on the other end.

A lone bright spot for the Timberwolves was forward Julius Randle, who got going in the third quarter. Randle finished the game with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting and went 4-for-6 from the 3-point line.

If there was a sliver of hope left for the Timberwolves heading into the final quarter, it was quickly crushed by Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren, capped off by a triple from Lu Dort. Randle gave his best efforts, but there just wasn't much any of them could do.

OKC put on this impressive showing without a solid three-point shooting night. The Thunder went 14-for-35 from outside, with Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams the leading scorers from that range at 50% each. Everyone knows they don't need the three-ball to win games and when they are on, it's even harder to beat them.

That being said, a triple from Dort with 6:36 to play in the final quarter was the nail in a just-about-shut coffin, which resulted in both teams emptying their benches. This was the checkered flag being shown in favor of Oklahoma City, making their Finals dreams a reality.

Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals against either the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks will tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, June 5, in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder await the winner of Indiana and New York, a series in which the Pacers have a chance to close out on Thursday, May 29. The game is in Madison Square Garden in New York City, but Indiana has a chance to spoil that fun at 7:00 p.m. CT on Thursday.