The Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder have reached a pivotal Game 5. OKC could secure its spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Alternatively, the Timberwolves could survive and force a Game 7, which would be their first appearance in the NBA Finals. The stakes are high. Here is our analysis.
Timberwolves vs. Thunder Game 5: Critical Match Analysis
In a sense, we are seeing two sides of the coin. On one side, the Thunder finish the regular season as the best team not only in the Western Conference but in the general standings of both conferences, with a winning percentage of .829 after a 68-14 record. The Minnesota Timberwolves, however, got off to a rocky start, but ended up with a record of 49-33, securing the sixth position, which also avoided them from having to play in the Play-In.
Timberwolves’ Playoff Run: Key Recent Scores & Series Performance
OKC started this series with a convincing 2-0 lead, which allowed them to capitalize on home-court advantage and work towards reaching the finals. However, Minnesota dominated Game 3, beating the Thunder by a surprisingly large margin of 143-101. At that point, it seemed likely that the series would end in a 2-2 tie, but the Timberwolves lost again in Game 4 on Monday, 128-126. Despite the impressive performances of Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley, the Thunder have demonstrated that the Timberwolves struggle to close games. Now, the Timberwolves are down 3-1 and need a win on Wednesday to force a Game 7.
OKC Thunder Performance: Analyzing Key Recent Scores
The best team in the NBA has achieved many accolades this season. Under the fantastic leadership of Coach Mark Daigneault, the team has dominated the Western Conference since the beginning of the season. They finished the regular season as the number one seed, set a franchise record with 15 consecutive regular-season wins, and secured the MVP award for their superstar, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander also won the NBA scoring title. In Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on May 26, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a playoff career-high 40 points, securing the win. The team is just one win away from securing a spot in the NBA Finals.
Matchup History: Timberwolves vs. Thunder All-Time Records
The Timberwolves and the Thunder have played a total of 140 regular-season games in their history, with the Timberwolves winning 48 games and the Thunder winning 92. The four disputed games this season resulted in a tie of 2 games each, with the Thunder beating the first and the third, and the Timberwolves winning the second and the last on February 24.
Our Final Call: Timberwolves vs. Thunder Game 5 Score Prediction
Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals will likely be the last game of the series. The Oklahoma City Thunder should capitalize on their home-court advantage and finish the series in front of the 18,203 fans who will be at the Paycom Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves could make an effort to force things. Still, it seems rare, given the circumstances, that they didn’t take advantage of their home games as expected—our final prediction in PayPerHead: Timberwolves 102-113 Thunder.
