WATCH: Thunder Crush Timberwolves To Win West, Reach NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 to win the West Finals 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals.

It was the third blowout victory of the series for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander racked up 34 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Chet Holmgren had 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Jalen Williams added 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander was named West Finals MVP, adding to his accolades of league MVP and the scoring title this season.

Anthony Edwards was once again kept quiet, limited to 19 points on 18 field goal attempts. Julius Randle was better but his 24 points on 14 shots were to no avail. No other starter reached double digits.

Oklahoma City now awaits the winner of the East Finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. Indiana leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 Thursday night.

Either opponent will be a significant underdog in the Finals.

The Thunder finished a league-best 68-14 during the regular season and so will have home court advantage for the NBA Finals. It is the second time the franchise has come this far, having faced the Miami Heat in 2012.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be on Thursday, June 5.

Thunder’s Dominant Defense Too Much For Timberwolves

The story of this postseason has been the Oklahoma City defense. In the three blowout wins, the Thunder limited the Timberwolves just 95.0 points per game.

Unsurprisingly, the Thunder rank No. 1 in defensive rating for the playoffs allowing just 107.7 points per 100 possessions. They do it on the back of extreme ball pressure that forces the highest turnover rate of the postseason.

Alex Caruso has been an unsung hero of this playoff run, putting on a showcase of his tremendous skill and acumen on that side of the ball.

Luguentz Dort lived up to his first appearance on an All-Defensive team, making life extremely difficult for Edwards.

SGA IS YOUR WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS MVP 🏆👏 pic.twitter.com/rmCtl7x6NV

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 29, 2025

Timberwolves Left Feeling So Close Yet So Far, Again

It’s another Western Conference Finals loss for the Wolves having been stopped at this stage a year ago by the Dallas Mavericks.

Like last year, Minnesota looked great through the first two rounds before having flaws exposed in the conference finals. If it was an inability to contain the excellent guard play of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving a year ago, it was an inability to penetrate the Thunder defense consistently enough this time around.

There is a lot to like about this Wolves squad, but there is a clear need for an additional playmaker. There were also several games this postseason where Minnesota was ice cold from three-point range, making it easier for teams to clog up the paint.

That fed right into the Thunder’s hands, a team that focuses on rim protection and scrambling out to the perimeter when needed.