The Oklahoma City Thunder have booked their ticket to the NBA Finals with a 124-94 demolition of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The trouncing in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals marks the second straight year Minnesota have fallen one round short of the Finals, while the Thunder have reached the championship stage for the first time since 2012.
The hosts were led by newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he scored 34 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds in a near triple-double performance.
Chet Holmgren also had 22, while Jalen Williams and 19 before all three checked out of the game with over five minutes to play.
Aside from an early 3-0 lead for Minnesota, it was a wire-to-wire win for the Thunder, who held their visitors to just nine first-quarter points.
From there, Oklahoma City’s lead continued to balloon, and their suffocating defense led to the Timberwolves coughing up more turnovers (14) than Minnesota’s amount of field goals made in the first half (12).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team with 34 points in the series-clinching Game 5 win
The Thunder fans will now witness their team in the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years
Gilgeous-Alexander was named the MVP of the Western Conference Finals after the game
All told, the hosts held an impenetrable 65-32 lead at the break and ultimately emptied their bench in what proved to be a breezy second half.
Following the conclusion of the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was named the MVP of the series.
Going back to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Canadian guard is the third regular season MVP in the relocated franchise’s history, but the Thunder have been unable to get back to the Finals since losing to the Heat there in 2012.
There was also a run of four consecutive first round exits between 2017-2020, while the team missed the postseason entirely from 2021-2023.
None of that was lost on Gilgeous-Alexander as he celebrated his team winning the West.
‘I just want to shout out these fans, they’ve been here,’ he said on the ESPN broadcast after the game.
‘A couple years I got here, there [was[ some really dark times in this arena, not fun times, and these fans have been by our side through thick and thin, so we appreciate that first and foremost.
‘And then, of course, I want to thank my teammates,’ he continued. ‘Without them, I’m nothing – clear as day. I don’t have 124 points [in the series] by myself.
‘I love these guys to death. Now, with all that being said, this is a step in the right direction, but we have a lot more work to do, and we know that, and that’s what we’re focused on.’
Chet Holmgren also had 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the hosts
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault holds the Oscar Robertson Western Conference Championship Trophy
Anthony Edwards was held in check in Game 5 as he finished with a modest 19 points
The loss will be tough to take for Anthony Edwards, who failed to reach 20 points in the last two games of the series.
In fact, it was Julius Randle who led Minnesota on Sunday with 24 points, while Edwards had 19.
The young star insisted in the post-game press conference that ‘nobody’s gonna work harder than me this summer.’
The Thunder will now have more than a week before the Finals kick off next Thursday, June 5.
However, they could learn their opponents as soon as Thursday night, with the Knicks down 3-1 to the Pacers and readying for a must-win Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
Regardless of who emerges from the East, the No. 1 seed Thunder – who won a staggering 68 games this regular season – will have homecourt advantage.
Oklahoma City will host the first two games of the Finals, and Games 5 and 7 if necessary.