2024/25 NBA West Finals - Thunder at Timberwolves (Game 3)
The Thunder have taken a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals but the Timberwolves are back on home court in Game 3. Here is a preview of a massive clash in Minnesota on Sunday morning.
Thunder at Timberwolves (OKC leads series 2-0)
The Thunder are rolling into Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead and a ton of confidence after dominating the Timberwolves in OKC. In Game 2, they cruised to a 118-103 win behind another MVP-calibre performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who dropped 38 points and dished out 8 assists on 57% shooting. Jalen Williams was just as impressive, putting up 26 points and grabbing 10 boards on 60% from the floor.
As the West’s top seed, the Thunder have been living up to the hype, using their depth and defence to keep Minnesota off balance. They're forcing turnovers and making life tough for the Wolves’ stars. OKC has won 5 of its last 6 overall and 6 of the last 9 matchups against Minnesota.
The only concern? They’re 0-5 against the spread in their last five road games — something to keep in mind as the series shifts to Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves are heading back to Minnesota down 0-2 in the series and badly needing a spark to stay in the fight. Despite the Game 2 loss, Anthony Edwards continued to shine with 32 points, 6 assists, and 9 boards — he’s clearly doing all he can to carry this team. Jaden McDaniels chipped in with 22 points on efficient shooting, but the rest of the squad struggled to keep up with OKC’s pace.
Turnovers have been a major issue, especially for Julius Randle, who's coughed it up four or more times in four straight playoff games. If the Wolves want to turn this around, they’ll need a cleaner, more disciplined effort on offence and better execution across the board.
The good news? They’ve been tough at home, going 9-1 straight up in their last 10 games at the Target Centre — and they'll be hoping that home-court energy helps them claw their way back into this series.
Stadium Record
Minnesota are 9-1 at home in their last 10 games. OKC are 2-2 in their last 4.
Head to Head Record
In the last 10 meetings, the Thunder have won 6 games.
Best Bet
I like the Under in Game 3 as this series has been fairly low scoring already. The Thunder also have a 9-2 Unders record against the Timberwolves and have kept them under 104 pts in both games thus far.
Same Game Multi
Edwards bounced back with 32 pts in Game 2 after a quiet Game 1 performance. He should be fired up on his home court to get the Timberwolves back into this series. The 25+ point line looks like a safe bet as he's beaten it in 3 of his last 5 games. If Edwards plays well, the Timberwolves have a good chance of making the series 2-1. They have an impressive home record recently, winning 9 of 10. After dropping the first 2 on the road, I think they'll be even more desperate to win Game 3.
Under 218.5 pts / Timberwolves Win / Edwards 25+ pts = $5.50
