The rebuilding of the Oklahoma City Thunder is about to receive a significant boost.
When the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night in Minneapolis, they will be one victory away from earning a spot in the NBA playoffs.
After defeating the host New Orleans Pelicans by a score of 123-118 on Wednesday, Oklahoma City now has a chance to make the playoffs. After losing 108-102 in overtime to the host Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, the Timberwolves are in the contest in which the loser goes home.
Since Rudy Gobert punched teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in last Sunday’s regular-season finale against New Orleans, Minnesota has been in a circus-like situation.
Gobert could miss Friday’s game because of back spasms, despite serving a suspension for the loss to the Lakers. When Chris Finch, the coach of the Timberwolves, met with the media on Thursday, he described Gobert as “uncertain.”
Gobert claimed that if he hadn’t been suspended, he would have missed the Lakers’ game due to the severity of his back issues.
He likewise said he had made peace with Anderson, who had a heavenly overall around game against Los Angeles with 12 places, 13 helps, five bounce back, four takes and four impeded shots.
The Thunder weren’t supposed to play any games after the regular season ended, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Minnesota is still in the running for a playoff spot.
Over the previous two seasons, Oklahoma City had a combined record of 46-108 and was anticipated to be one of the league’s worst teams this year. When I said No, that seemed even more formal. Before the season, second-round pick Chet Holmgren suffered a foot injury that ended his season.
Instead, the team is well ahead of schedule with 15 first-round picks over the next five seasons. In addition, the Thunder outplayed the Pelicans in the final quarter, giving the impression of a seasoned team.
In the second half, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 of his game-high 32 points. He scored eight in the last 1:40, including the shot with 28.3 seconds remaining that kept the Thunder ahead.
Oklahoma City, which is seeking a victory that would place them in the first round against the Denver Nuggets, who are ranked number one, had 31 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds, while Lu Dort had 27 points.
After missing the playoffs in 16 of their previous 17 seasons, the Timberwolves are attempting to do so for the second time in a row.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Lakers, but after getting his fifth foul, he was mostly ineffective.
Mike Conley made six 3-pointers while scoring 23 focuses for the Timberwolves, however Anthony Edwards had only nine focuses on 3-of-17 going for Minnesota, which blew a 15-point second from last quarter lead.
This season, the Timberwolves defeated the Thunder 3-1; On December 3, Oklahoma City prevailed in Minneapolis.
