OKC Moves a Win Away From Finals After Surviving Minnesota

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Oklahoma City Thunder just boosted their chance of ending a 14-year NBA Finals trip drought after escaping the Minnesota Timberwolves, 128-126, in Game 4 of their Western Conference Finals series on May 27, 2025.

With the gutsy road win, the no. 1 team in the West just ballooned their series lead to a commanding 3-1 and will have the chance to wrap up their matchup against the Timberwolves in front of their home fans on May 29, 2025.

Out of all their games against Minnesota, this recently concluded Game 4 duel was one of those matches where a top-tier team’s character and cohesiveness will be put to the ultimate test.

Every time Minnesota hosted a massive run, Oklahoma always had answers and prevented them from retaking the lead, especially in the most crucial stretch of the fourth when the Timberwolves threatened to spoil the Thunder’s efficient two-way performance.

The Timberwolves had two golden chances that would’ve frustrated the Thunder: First was when they erased their 11-point deficit in the third and tied things up at 79-all off a Donte DiVincenzo trey, and the other was when Jaden McDaniels cut Oklahoma’s lead to just a deuce off a three in the remaining 24 seconds, 123-121.

However, every Minnesota avalanche was met by an Oklahoma flamethrower.

Although the Timberwolves did what they were supposed to do, and that was to chip away their deficit and just keep on piling up the points, the Thunder didn’t go anywhere and provided demoralizing haymakers that maintained their cushion.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylen Williams, and Chet Holmgren delivered huge answers after every Minnesota bucket and were nothing but spectacular in front of a hostile crowd in Minnesota.

Oklahoma was looking to send the early exclamation point after building a nine-point lead, 109-100, in the final six minutes of the final canto but the resilient Minnesota squad fought and knocked down timely buckets to keep themselves within striking distance.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and DiVincenzo came up clutch for the home team after sending in a barrage of points, but the Thunder mob wouldn’t be denied and unleashed their own version of an offensive clinic.

In the final 10 seconds of the ball game, Rudy Gobert kept Minnesota’s chances alive after slamming the ball in the paint that got them to within a deuce, 125-123.

The next sequence put SGA to the charity stripe after Minnesota played the foul game, but the reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) missed his second attempt that kept the affair to a one-possession game, 126-123.

Not a fan of giving up three-point looks to their opposing teams, OKC head coach Mark Daigneault repeated what they did against the Denver Nuggets and mirrored what the Timberwolves executed in the final two possessions.

Naz Reid was the chosen casualty after getting fouled, but he swished both of his free throws that pulled the Timberwolves to just a point, 126-125, before SGA returned to redeem himself and extend their advantage to three points again, 128-125.

With no more timeouts left for Minnesota in the last 6.1 seconds of Game 4, their fight-back window was getting thinner after they got fouled once again, sending Anthony Edwards to the free- throw line.

There was one plan left. Make your first, and miss the second, hoping that your front-court rebounders would give you a second chance to either level the score or bury a trey that could give you a one-point lead.

Edwards executed that game plan to perfection, but his miss in the second free throw was rebounded by SGA, as Gobert and Julius Randle got boxed out by Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein down the block.

What a way to bounce back after a horrendous Game 3 loss, and what a way to re-capture the momentum heading home for Game 5.

After his worst-scoring performance of the postseason, SGA kept his promise and rebounded in the win with a near triple-double outing of 40 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.

Williams, who provided three huge haymakers in the fourth, backstopped SGA with 34 markers built from an efficient 13/24 shooting from the field alongside five dimes, three boards, and three steals.

On the other hand, the superstar duo of Edwards and Randle capped off the loss with a sub-par performance as they only combined for 21 points, their worst combined scoring output in this season’s ongoing playoffs.

Keeping Minnesota afloat in Game 4 was their second unit, specifically Walker and DiVincenzo who shot the lights out despite the loss.

Walker top-scored the Timberwolves with 23 points derived from five three-pointers while DiVincenzo chipped in 21 markers, five dimes, and three boards.