The Oklahoma City Thunder have earned themselves an 84th game this season. The OKC Thunder will travel up to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves, this game will be the final contest of the NBA Play-In tournament, and the winner will advance to take on the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs on Sunday in the Mile High City.
The OKC Thunder survived a postseason road game in New Orleans just days ago, downing the Pelicans as the Thunder saw their young core step up to the challenge in the spotlight. Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned in over 30 points, Lu Dort caught fire for 27 points, and Mark Daigneault had the youngest team in the NBA prepared for a 48-minute war.
OKC Thunder travels to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves with the right to advance to the first round of the NBA Playoffs on the line.
On the flip side, the Minnesota Timberwolves stumbled on the road in L.A. after appearing to have control of their contest against the Lakers. However, the Timberwolves faded fast and now host a win-or-go-home game against the upstart Thunder.
These two teams played four times in the NBA Regular Season, and Minnesota won three of those meetings. However, the two teams have not matched up with each other since December 16th. A lot has changed with these two teams since then.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the best player on the court tonight, the best coaching staff in the game, and the momentum. While it is hard to quantify momentum and vibes, it is clear the Thunder are far and away in a better place than the Wolves in that department. So the question becomes, how much does that matter?
This game will be broadcasted on ESPN with tip-off slated for 8:30 Central Time in Minnesota. Will the Thunder end up in the first round of the NBA Playoffs? Drop your predictions below!