The Oklahoma City Thunder have booked their ticket to the NBA Finals with a 124-94 demolition of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
The trouncing on Wednesday marks the second straight year Minnesota have fallen one round short of the Finals, while the Thunder have reached the championship stage for the first time since 2012.
The hosts were led by newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he scored 34 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds in a near triple-double performance.
Chet Holmgren also had 22, while Jalen Williams and 19 before they checked out of the game with over five minutes to play.
Aside from an early 3-0 lead for Minnesota, it was a wire-to-wire win for the Thunder, who held their visitors to just nine first-quarter points.
From there, Oklahoma City’s lead continued to balloon, and their suffocating defense led to the Timberwolves coughing up more turnovers (14) than the amount of field goals made in the first half (12).
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team with 34 points in the series-clinching Game 5 win
The Thunder fans will now witness their team in the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years
Chet Holmgren also had 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the hosts
All told, the hosts held an impenetrable 65-32 lead at the break and emptied their bench in what proved to be a breezy second half.
Following the conclusion of the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was named the MVP of the series.
More to follow
