The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to host the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals Tuesday night, with the Thunder entering as 7.5-point favorites at home.
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The matchup tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and will also be broadcast on ESPN.
According to BetOnline, the Thunder are favored by 7.5 points with odds of -105, while the Timberwolves sit at +7.5 with -115 odds.
Injury Update
The Timberwolves enter the series completely healthy with no players on the injury report.
Oklahoma City will be without shooting guard Nikola Topic, who’s out for the season with a knee injury.
Rest vs. Momentum
The Timberwolves haven’t played in six days since knocking out the Golden State Warriors in five games.
This extended break isn’t new for Minnesota. They’ve had similar six-day breaks before each of their previous playoff series, going 1-1 in those Game 1s. They beat the Lakers in their opener but dropped Game 1 to Golden State.
Despite that Game 1 loss to the Warriors, Minnesota still won both series in five games.
On the other side, the Thunder are riding high after a dominant 125-93 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their second-round matchup on Sunday.
History in the Making
This marks Minnesota’s second straight trip to the conference finals and just the third in franchise history. They’ve never made it to the NBA Finals.
For Oklahoma City, it’s their first conference finals appearance since 2016, and they’re hoping to reach the Finals for the first time since 2012.
The Thunder have dealt with their own unusual scheduling this postseason, with a week-long break before their first-round series against Memphis and a nine-day gap before facing the Nuggets.
Regular Season Matchups
The teams split their regular season series 2-2.
Oklahoma City won at home 113-105 on New Year’s Eve and grabbed a 130-123 road victory on February 23.
Minnesota countered with a 116-101 home win on February 13 and a thrilling 131-128 overtime victory in Oklahoma City on February 24.
The Timberwolves have actually been quite successful in OKC recently, winning 6 of their last 8 road games against the Thunder.
But those regular season matchups might not tell the whole story. Minnesota’s defensive anchor Rudy Gobert only played in one of those games, while Thunder big man Chet Holmgren appeared in just two.
"Apples to apples, I don’t know if those games are the perfect framework through which to look at the series," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault admitted. "It’ll be different."
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives Oklahoma City a 69.7% chance of winning Game 1.
The Timberwolves come in hot on the road with a 5-1 record in their last six away games, while the Thunder have been tough at home, going 6-1 in their last seven at Paycom Center.
