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Thunder Have Key Edge Over Timberwolves in Western Conference Finals Matchup

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Svyato Rovenchuk | Last updated May 23, 2025 7:58 AM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying a 2-0 series lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves after a commanding 118-103 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder continue to dominate key areas of the game.

Of course, life is made a lot easier when there is a superstar driving the bus with an elite effort every night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a powerful Game 2 performance.

After lifting up this year's NBA MVP trophy, the Thunder superstar poured in 38 points against the Timberwolves. That mark tied a career high for Gilgeous-Alexander.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams were both stellar too. The main supporting stars added a combined 48 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.

It is easy to focus on the Thunder's star power from Game 2. However, the matchup extended a key early trend of this series that is largely favoring Oklahoma City.

Key area favoring the Thunder

The Thunder have been an incredibly disciplined team throughout the entirety of the 2024-25 NBA season. Oklahoma City led the league with the fewest turnovers per game (11.7) and the most steals per game (10.3).

The Thunder also led the league in points off turnovers (25.0) during the regular season. Being strong in all of these areas has showed up in the first two games of this series.

In Game 1, the Thunder won the turnover battle 12-17. That carried over into the points off turnovers category that they dominated 31-10.

In Game 2, that trend held. Oklahoma City once again claimed the turnover advantage at 6-14. They generated 22 points off turnovers, by comparison to Minnesota's 10.

With the series heading back to Minnesota, the Thunder have to love where they are. If they can continue their success in key areas like the one above, this matchup could be over rather quickly.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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