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Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots a three point basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Western Conference Finals on May 26, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Getty Images)
(FOX 9) - The season will be on the line Wednesday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves head to Oklahoma City down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Wolves-Thunder Game 5: How to watch
What we know:
Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals will be played at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The game will be shown on ESPN.
Game 5: Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Channel: ESPN
Wolves trail Thunder
The backstory:
After blowing out the Thunder in Game 3, the Wolves were looking to even up the series Monday night at the Target Center.
It was a tight contest throughout, but with the Thunder holding a lead for most of the night.
The game came down to the final seconds, with the Wolves trailing by three points with less than ten seconds on the clock after a missed free throw by Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, the Thunder played a conservative strategy, fouling the Wolves rather than allowing the team to get a look at a potentially game-tying three-point shot.
Anthony Edwards tried to intentionally miss a free throw, to give the Wolves a chance to tie the game on a putback. The Thunder grabbed the rebound but Gilgeous-Alexander threw an errant pass out of bounds while falling to the floor. That gave Minnesota one last look at a shot, down just two points with 0.3 seconds on the clock, with the ball near midcourt.
However, on the inbound, Jalen Williams skyed for his only steal of the night, sealing the game.
Big picture view:
The loss at home put Minnesota down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals series. That means the Wolves would need to win out to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history.
According to stat site Land of Basketball, teams up 3-1 in their series win 95.6 percent of the time. No team has overcome the odds since the Nuggets did it twice in 2020. However, the last time it happened in the Western Conference Finals was 2016, when the Warriors came back against the Thunder.
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