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Tonight, the Western Conference Finals tips off between the one-seed Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) and the sixth-seed Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33).
Two of the biggest young stars in the game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards will face off for the first time in the NBA Playoffs. This series will also be the first playoff matchup between the two franchises since 1998.
Both looking to reach their first NBA Finals, the two All-NBA talents will be at center stage at 8:30 p.m.
Call it now: Who wins Game 1 of the Western Conference finals? 👀
8:30 PM ET on ESPN 🍿 pic.twitter.com/wlMWr4tK68
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 20, 2025
Thunder Become Battle-Tested
The Thunder are coming off of one of the most dominate regular seasons of all time, finishing with a franchise-record 68 wins. They look to reach the NBA finals for the first time since Kevin Durant led them there in 2012.
After sweeping the Grizzles in the first round, Oklahoma City struggled against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets squad, going down 2-1 in the series. The Thunder won the next two games but lost Game 6, meaning a winner-take-all Game 7 in the Paycom Center.
After last season’s disappointing exit to the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder refused to go down in the semifinals again.
They won that decisive game in dominant fashion, behind a 35-point performance from MVP-hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC’s Alex Caruso was given the unexpected assignment of guarding Jokic, but kept the Serbian in check for most of the game.
Hoping to hold onto home-court advantage, the Thunder look ready for the biggest stage.
GAME 7 SGA 😮💨🔥
• 35 PTS
• 12/19 FG
• 3 THREES pic.twitter.com/jx4p801J3M— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) May 18, 2025
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are heading back to the Western Conference finals for the second season in a row. The Timberwolves beat the Lebron and Luka-led lakers in the first round in a decisive five games.
After losing their first game of the second round to Golden State, explosions from Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards brought Minnesota back into the series. With Warriors’ star Steph Curry injured for Games 2-5, the Timberwolves stormed past Golden State in five games as well
Randle stepping up to average 22.6 points this post season helped quiet any concerns that trading for him was a mistake. Edwards leads with 26.5 points per game these playoffs as the Timberwolves aim for their first ever NBA Finals appearance. Having four more days of rest than the Thunder, Minnesota hopes to take advantage of healthy legs and steal Game 1 on the road.
Up Next
Game 1 of the series Tips off at 8:30 p.m. tonight. Two of the brightest young stars in the game battle it out with a trip to the finals on the line. The Thunder are heavily favored but the Timberwolves have the experience, setting up what should be an exciting series.
