Thunder Eliminate Wolves in 5, Reach First Finals Since 2012

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 on Wednesday night, winning the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.

Gilgeous-Alexander was unanimously selected as the Western Conference finals MVP one week after winning his first league MVP title. He has the potential to become the first player since Stephen Curry in 2014-15 to win both the league MVP and the NBA title.

Chet Holmgren had 22 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks, while Jalen Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who won by 30 or more points for the fourth time this postseason, the most in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.

"They're unbelievably competitive," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said about his club. "They continually put in the effort, even when things were tough. Most importantly, they prioritize teamwork. They embody what it is to be a team. And so they deserve it. They deserve the opportunity that we currently have.

A fan base that had suffered through the loss of Kevin Durant to free agency in 2016 and a rebuild that had pushed the Thunder to the bottom of the league standings just four years ago broke loose in the fourth quarter when the Thunder sat their starters with 5:14 remaining and a 108-74 lead.

Oklahoma City will face the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks in the finals. Indiana leads the Eastern Conference finals 3-1, with Game 5 taking place in New York City on Thursday. Oklahoma City will have home-court advantage in the Finals, which begin on June 5, according to their league-best 68-14 regular-season record.

The Thunder have not won a championship since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008-09. However, they did win one as the Seattle Supersonics in 1979.

Julius Randle scored 24 points, and Anthony Edwards added 19 for the Timberwolves, who shot 41.2% and had 21 turnovers.

Oklahoma City started the game on an 11-3 run and maintained the lead throughout the first quarter. Cason Wallace hit a three-pointer as the first quarter ended, giving the Thunder a 26-9 lead.

Oklahoma City led 65-32 at halftime and 88-62 entering the fourth quarter.

"It's great to feel like you didn't leave anything on the table, which I feel like we didn't tonight," Holmgren told the audience. "You can always do better. We're going to look at how we can improve. But, altogether, I think we played a great game. Everyone on the roster stepped in and played well, and it's a lot less stressful than those close games."