Thunder Gameday: One Shot at Making NBA Playoffs
The Oklahoma City Thunder showed poise in a tremendous win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Now, they’re one win away from making the playoffs.
In the second and final round of the play-in, the Thunder will be in Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. The winner of this game will earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and advance to a seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets.
By the end of tonight, one team will be in the playoffs and the other eliminated.
Matt Krohn / USA TODAY Sports
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 4.5-point underdogs to the Wolves, and the total over/under is 228 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
This game will come down to the bigs for Minnesota. The Timberwolves start two centers in Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, while the Thunder start a small lineup with four guards.
As such, the team that’s able to play their style will have a significant advantage. If the Wolves are able to dominate the paint, OKC likely will struggle. On the flip side, if the Thunder’s small ball style can play one of the bigs off the court, things could trend in their favor.
Following a poor performance on Wednesday, Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards could be in for a huge bounce back game. It’s also worth noting Rudy Gobert still isn’t fully healthy.
There’s a variety of factors that could dictate this game, but it should ultimately come down to the center situation.
RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40)
WHEN:
Friday, April 14, 2023 at 8:30 PM CT
LOCATION:
Paycom Center - Oklahoma City, OK
TV/RADIO:
ESPN, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
FINAL WORD:
The winner of this game will play on Sunday in Denver against the Nuggets in the series opener. The loser will officially be eliminated and kick off their offseason.
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