Three keys to watch in Thunder-Timberwolves Western Conference Finals

While the Oklahoma City Thunder were battle-tested against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves have coasted in the first two rounds against undersized teams in the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

Minnesota's advantages in those series will not be present against a deep Oklahoma City roster.

That said, here are the three keys to watch in the Western Conference Finals.

Minnesota must reduce turnovers

In the 10 playoff games Minnesota has played in this postseason, the Timberwolves have averaged 13.4 turnovers per game.

Coughing up the ball that many times is a death sentence against this Thunder team.

Game 7 was indicative of that, as Oklahoma City forced 23 turnovers against Denver, leading to 27 fast-break points and 37 points off those giveaways.

The Thunder will implement as much on-ball pressure as possible, especially when they double Anthony Edwards.

The former first overall pick has done a good job of letting the game come to him and not forcing the issue, but Minnesota has succumbed to that pressure consistently when Edwards is forced to get rid of the ball.

How effective will Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren be?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to consistently score 30+ points, and although Williams made a monumental impact in the series-clinching win over Denver with 24 points on 10-of-17 from the field, he has been up and down in these playoffs.

The 24-year-old forward is averaging 19.6 points per game while shooting 44% from the field during this postseason, but he has shot under 35% or worse in four games.

If the Thunder want to win a championship, they will need more reliability from their second-best player.

Holmgren has been a tough player to evaluate because while he is averaging 15 points and 9.7 rebounds in the playoffs, you are left wanting to see more on both ends of the court.

Holmgren should have an easier time on the defensive side of the equation, as he will not be assigned a daunting matchup nearly as difficult as he had in the second round defending Jokic at times.

It will be interesting to see who Oklahoma City's coaching staff will utilize the 23-year-old big man in this matchup against a versatile Timberwolves squad.

Julius Randle's effectiveness against the Thunder's defense

Randle has flipped the playoff narrative he carried throughout his career, becoming a lethal and efficient scorer.

The last two times Randle has been in the playoffs — 2020 and 2022 with the New York Knicks — the 30-year-old forward averaged 17.3 points and a 33.6 field goal percentage during that span.

While Randle has been dominant, it is important to note that those performances came against the Lakers and Warriors, who each did not have an answer defensively.

Oklahoma City can deploy Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso on Randle, depending on circumstances and other matchups on the floor. Not only do the Thunder possess versatility in on-ball defenders, but they are an overall sturdy defensive unit with active hands, which can disrupt and clog passing lanes.

If the Thunder can marginalize Randle, it is going to be a long series for the Timberwolves.