The Oklahoma City Thunder‘s magical season continues as they conquer the West. A gentlemanly sweep over the Minnesota Timberwolves resulted in their first Finals appearance since 2012.
Here are five takeaways from the Thunder’s conference finals series against the Wolves.
Western Conference Finals Takeaways
The Growth Of OKC’s Big Three
Heading into the postseason, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s readiness to win was not questioned. However, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren’s readiness to win as legit second and third options on champion contenders in games of consequence was a legitimate question.
Now, we’re seeing those questions being answered and witnessing the growth of OKC’s Big Three right before our eyes.
OKC’s Big Three had their fingerprints all over this series, especially in a crucial Game 4, where the trio combined for 95 points in Minnesota, the most scored by three players in franchise history.
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t the most efficient but controlled the game, scoring 40 points with 10 assists and 9 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander near triple-double in Game 4:40 PTS (playoff career-high) | 10 AST | 9 REB |
Williams set the tone from start to finish, scoring 34 points — including 14 in the fourth quarter, with the best game of his career and making a career-high six 3-pointers.
Jalen Williams's best playoff game in Game 4:34 PTS | 5 AST | 3 REB | 3 STL | 13/24 FG | (playoff career-high) 6 3PM |
Holmgren was a two-way force, scoring 21 points — including 9 in the fourth quarter, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
Chet Holmgren being a two-way star in Game 4:21 PTS | 7 REB | 3 BLK | 9/14 FG | 2/4 3P |
The Thunder’s trio is just scratching the surface together. Gilgeous-Alexander is only 26, Williams is only 24, and Holmgren is only 23.
Here’s a quote from Gilgeous-Alexander regarding their potential together.
“We still have so much more room to grow, which is scary,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They haven’t even hit close to their prime yet. Both are out there just playing on their talent right now. I’m excited for the future. But yeah, those two are quite the pair.”
Here’s a quote from Jalen Williams on going through the playoffs as a young group.
“We’ve been able to grow from the experience,” Williams said.
Named the Western Conference Finals MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals on 56.7 TS% in five games.
Williams averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2 steals in five games on 49/46/83 shooting splits.
Holmgren averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 57 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three in five games.
Winning The Possession Battle
This has been a trend all season long. OKC’s best weapon is its ability to win possessions by turning its defense into offense.
The Thunder dominated the possession battle, forcing 83 Minnesota turnovers to 60 OKC turnovers.
Oklahoma City shot the higher percentage — 215-for-441 (48.7%), compared to 198-for-435 (45.5%) from the floor for the Wolves.
The Thunder were a +28 in points off turnovers, +30 in fast break points, and won the battle on the glass in three of the five games.
The Thunder’s defense force, intensity, and ability to win possessions led them to a 4-1 series win over the Wolves.
The Thunder Finally Have A Normal Three-Point Shooting Series
The Thunder’s lack of shooting was glaring heading into this series, in which they shot — 137-for-429 (31.9%) from three.
This time, the Thunder had a positive regression in their three-point shooting in this series.
The Thunder shot 40 percent or better in three out of the five games — 11-for-21 in Game 1, 16-for-37 in Game 4, and 14-for-35 in Game 5.
Here are the Thunder’s three-point shooting percentages throughout their 2025 playoff series:
vs Memphis Grizzlies — 31.3 percent from three
vs Denver Nuggets — 32.3 percent from three
vs Minnesota Timberwolves — 37.6 percent from three
Despite the three-point struggles against the Grizzlies and the Nuggets, the Thunder were more efficient from three — as they shot 64-for-170 (37.6%) in the Conference Finals against the Timberwolves.
Limiting Minnesota Stars
Mark Daigneault’s defensive scheme was fantastic, and the Thunder executed the game plan to perfection. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle struggled to solve the Thunder’s riddle throughout the series.
The Thunder made Edwards play the role of facilitator by throwing multiple defenders, blitzing, trapping, and double-teaming, packing the paint, playing the gaps, and having much higher pickup points on him. This resulted in Edwards scoring less than 20 points in three out of the five games.
In five games, Edwards averaged 23 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists (3.2 turnovers) on 47.1 percent from the floor and 28.2 percent from three.
Outside of Game 3, the Thunder did a great job of frustrating Randle throughout the series. They held him under 10 points in two games and had 4+ turnovers in four out of the five games. This resulted in visible bad body language and disengagement, which led to him being benched in key stretches during the series.
In five games, Randle averaged 17.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3 assists (3.6 turnovers) on 48.3 percent shooting from the floor and 47.8 percent from three. However, the percentages don’t tell the whole story of how well the Thunder defended him.
What’s Next For Minnesota
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After making a blockbuster trade — by trading Karl Anthony-Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo right before the start of the season. Many viewed this season as a transition year.
Well, the Wolves won 25 out of their last 31 games coming into the Western Conference Finals, beating both the Lakers and Warriors in five games.
The Wolves ran into a team amid one of the greatest seasons in the history of the NBA.
If anyone had predicted that the Wolves would be in the Western Conference Finals at the midway point of the season, nobody would have believed them.
That said, Tim Connelly and the Wolves have a vital offseason.
First up: Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are officially in control.
Next up: Julius Randle (player option), Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are free agents.
Bringing back all three will put them in a financial bind.
The Wolves will only be likely to keep two of the three.
It’s crucial for Minnesota to properly construct a roster around Anthony Edwards, who is only 23 years old. Many eyes will be on the Wolves to see how they navigate the offseason.
Main Image: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
