Thunder aim to secure conference finals victory over the Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14, first in the Western Conference)
Oklahoma City; Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Thunder -8.5; over/under is 220.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Thunder lead series 3-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Oklahoma City Thunder look to clinch the Western Conference finals over the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five. The Thunder defeated the Timberwolves 128-126 in the last meeting on Tuesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 40 points, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Timberwolves with 23.
The Thunder are 12-4 against opponents in the Northwest Division. Oklahoma City is sixth in the Western Conference in rebounding with 44.8 rebounds. Jalen Williams leads the Thunder with 5.3 boards.
The Timberwolves have gone 33-19 against Western Conference opponents. Minnesota is 11-11 in one-possession games.
The Thunder average 14.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.8 more made shots on average than the 12.7 per game the Timberwolves give up. The Timberwolves average 15.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 more made shots on average than the 13.5 per game the Thunder allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 1.7 steals for the Thunder. Williams is averaging 19.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals over the last 10 games.
Anthony Edwards is averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle is averaging 21.2 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Thunder: 7-3, averaging 115.0 points, 43.5 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 10.3 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.3 points per game.
Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 110.8 points, 42.9 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 7.0 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.6 points.
INJURIES: Thunder: Nikola Topic: out for season (acl).
Timberwolves: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
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Global News
5 hours ago
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Story continues below advertisement This version trailed the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 in the opening round and has barely looked back since. The Oilers, who are 12-2 over their last 14 contests, won four straight to take that series before disposing of the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in five games apiece. 1:57 Edmonton Oilers advance to Stanley Cup Finals 'Just keep giving yourselves opportunities to be in this position,' McDavid said Tuesday. 'Keep giving yourself chances to win, and eventually it happens. We've done that. We've put ourselves in another good spot. 'Learned a lot of lessons last year in that month that we can use this year.' Last year's playoff push saw McDavid register 42 points — the most ever by a player in a single post-season not named Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux — while his 34 assists were also a record. 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