The Oklahoma City Thunder will make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2012. They punched their ticket in dominant fashion against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder had a 65-32 halftime lead over the Timberwolves on Wednesday, marking the franchise’s largest halftime lead in the playoffs, according to ESPN. They held the Timberwolves to just nine points in the first quarter and 23 points in the second quarter.
The Thunder led by as many as 39 points and went on to win 124-94 to clinch the Western Conference title, 4-1. They will face either the New York Knicks or Indiana Pacers. (The Pacers have a 3-1 lead over the Knicks.)
There were plenty of other wild stats to come out of the Western Conference finals. Here’s a look at some others:
Thunder defeat Timberwolves by 30 points
The Thunder defeated the Timberwolves by 30 points to clinch the series, which marked Oklahoma City’s fourth playoff victory of 30 or more points during this postseason. That’s a record.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped career playoff high in Game 4
Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 40 points in the Thunder’s 128-126 win in Game 4, which marked a career playoff high. He added 10 assists and nine rebounds to his stat line, finishing just one rebound shy of a triple-double.
Thunder lose by 42 points in Game 3
The Thunder were on the receiving end of one thumping. The Timberwolves defeated the Thunder by 42 points in Game 3, which marked Oklahoma City’s worst loss of the season and the Timberwolves’ largest points total of the season. According to OptaStats, the Timberwolves’ 42-point victory marked ‘the largest margin of victory in NBA history (regular season or playoffs) against a team that won 65+ games in the regular season that year.’The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
