The Oklahoma City Thunder are at home on Tuesday night as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Oklahoma City is coming off a seven-game series over the Denver Nuggets that they were able to close out in dominating fashion in Game 7 on Sunday after blowing out Denver by 32 points.
They will now have a quick turnaround as they face a well-rested Timberwolves team that has dominated their way to the Western Conference Finals.
Of course, the Timberwolves were able to make short work of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round after winning the series in five games.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) looks to pass around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) in the second half at Target Center.
Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
They were then able to defeat the Golden State Warriors in five games in the second round, though the Warriors were without their star point guard Stephen Curry for most of the series due to an injury.
With the Timberwolves having an extended break between Game 5 of the second round and Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, they enter as the more rested team.
Despite this, the Thunder have one of the deepest benches in the NBA and they will also enter Tuesday night’s game with a clean injury report.
The only player listed on Oklahoma City’s injury report is rookie guard Nikola Topic, who has missed the entire season due to a torn ACL that he suffered last summer.
With the Thunder’s core healthy, they will look to start off strong in Game 1 on Tuesday night as they try to avoid what happened in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Nuggets where they blew a lead in the fourth quarter.
On the other side, the Timberwolves also enter Tuesday’s matchup with a clean injury report as they have nobody listed on it.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) in the second half at Target Center.
Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
This is great news for Minnesota, especially with Anthony Edwards dealing with an ankle injury in the second round that he was ultimately able to play through.
Fans can catch Tuesday’s Game 1 matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.