Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Timberwolves Host Thunder in Pivotal Game 3 of Western Conference Finals

The Minnesota Timberwolves return to Target Center for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder. After dropping the first two games, Minnesota is in a tough spot, while OKC aims to edge closer to their first NBA Finals appearance since the 2011-12 season.

In Game 2, the Timberwolves suffered a 118-103 loss at Paycom Center. Despite a strong 32-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance from Anthony Edwards, who bounced back from an 18-point Game 1, his teammates struggled.

Julius Randle, typically a reliable scorer with 24+ points in his prior four games, managed only six points, and Rudy Gobert added just five in 30 minutes. Minnesota had four players in double figures, with Jaden McDaniels scoring 22, Naz Reid contributing 10, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker adding 17 off the bench.

The Timberwolves previously dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in five games each but fell 114-88 in Game 1 of this series. Coach Chris Finch’s squad now faces the challenge of avoiding a third straight loss, a streak they haven’t seen since dropping their first three games of the season.

With a 9-1 record in their last 10 home games at Target Center—excluding a 99-88 loss to the Warriors on May 7—Minnesota is counting on their home crowd to spark a comeback.

Meanwhile, the Thunder shot an impressive 50% from the field in Game 2, driven by newly crowned 2024-25 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38 points and eight assists. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren each added 22 points, helping OKC secure a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Though no other Thunder player reached double digits, their balanced effort was enough to dominate. Coach Mark Daigneault’s team, now 14-2 at home since March 20 and 7-1 in the playoffs (with a 121-119 loss to Denver on May 6 as the outlier), aims to steal at least one game in Minnesota before returning to Paycom Center.

OKC holds a 4-2 edge over Minnesota this season, winning three of their last four matchups since February 24. Sunday’s clash at Target Center will test the Timberwolves’ resilience as they fight to keep their NBA Finals hopes alive.