For the first time in franchise history, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals in consecutive seasons. Game 1 of their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder is at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday) at Paycor Center in Oklahoma City.
It’s the third conference finals trip for the Timberwolves, who were also in the finals in 2004. Minnesota has never made it to the NBA Finals.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between Indiana and the New York Knicks is Wednesday in New York.
Here are the schedules for the two series. Listed are game number, date, time, site and TV coverage.
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (6)
Game 1: Tuesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m., Paycom Center, Oklahoma City/ESPN
Game 2: Thursday, May 22, 7:30 p.m., Paycom Center, Oklahoma City/ESPN
Game 3: Saturday, May 24, 7:30 p.m., Target Center/ABC
Game 4: Monday, May 26, 7:30 p.m., Target Center/ESPN
Game 5: (if necessary) Wednesday, May 28, 7:30 p.m., Paycom Center, Oklahoma City/ESPN
Game 6: (if necessary) Friday, May 30, 7:30 p.m., Target Center/ESPN
Game 7: (if necessary) Sunday, June 1, 7 p.m., Paycom Center, Oklahoma City/ESPN
Eastern Conference
New York Knicks (3) vs. Indiana Pacers (4)
Game 1: Wednesday, May 21, 7 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York/TNT
Game 2: Friday, May 23, 7 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York/TNT
Game 3: Sunday, May 25, 7 p.m., Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis/TNT
Game 4: Tuesday, May 27, 7 p.m., Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis/TNT
Game 5: (if necessary) Thursday, May 29, 7 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York/TNT
Game 6: (if necessary) Saturday, May 31, 7 p.m., Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis/TNT
Game 7: (if necessary) Monday, June 2, 7 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York/TNT
All-time Timberwolves vs. Thunder
The series capsule for the Timberwolves vs. the Thunder. The Thunder franchise began as the Seattle SuperSonics
Overall: 48-92
In Minnesota: 28-42
In Oklahoma City: 20-50
Preseason: 2-3
Postseason (Sea): 2-3
Play-in (OKC): 1-0
Last win: 131-128 (OT) at Oklahoma City (02-24-25)
Last home win: 116-101 at Minnesota (02-23-25)
Last road win: 131-128 (OT) at Oklahoma City (02-24-25)
Last loss: 130-123 at Minnesota (02-23-25)
Last home loss: 130-123 at Minnesota (02-23-25)
Last road loss: 113-105 at Oklahoma City (12-31-24)
Biggest win: 42 – 129-87 at Minnesota (01-07-09)
Biggest loss: 37 – 2x MRL 130-93 at Seattle (02-14-96)
Regular-season meetings
The Timberwolves and Thunder split their regular-season series 2-2. Each team was 1-1 on its home court.
The first meeting was on New Year’s Eve. The other three occurred within 11 days, the last two on back-to-back days.
12-31-24: at Oklahoma City Thunder 113, Minnesota Timberolves 105
02-13-25: at Minnesota Timberwolves 116, Oklahoma City Thunder 101
02-23-25: Oklahoma City Thunder 130, at Minnesota Timberwolves 123
02-24-25: Minnesota Timberwolves 131, at Oklahoma City Thunder 128 (OT)
Regular season wins
The Thunder became the seventh team in NBA history to win 68 games or more in a season in 2024-25.
The all-time leaders:
Team Year Record
Golden State Warriors 2016 73-9
Chicago Bulls 1996 72-10
Chicago Bulls 1997 69-13
Los Angeles Lakers 1972 69-13
Philadelphia 76ers 1967 68-13
Boston Celtics 1973 68-14
Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 68-14
Boston Celtics 1986 67-15
Chicago Bulls 1992 67-15
Dallas Mavericks 2007 67-15
Golden State Warriors 2015 67-15
Golden State Warriors 2017 67-15
Los Angeles Lakers 2000 67-15
San Antonio Spurs 2016 67-15
Double digit wins
The Thunder set the record for double-digit wins this season with 51.
The all-time leaders:
Year Team Wins
2025 Oklahoma City Thunder 51
1972 Los Angeles Lakers 50
2017 Golden State Warriors 48
1971 Milwaukee Bucks 47
1996 Chicago Bulls 46
1997 Chicago Bulls 45
2008 Boston Celtics 45
2015 Golden State Warriors 45
2019 Milwaukee Bucks 45
1992 Chicago Bulls 44
2016 Golden State Warriors 44
2013 Oklahoma State Thunder 44
2016 San Antonio Spurs 44
Margin of victory
The Oklahoma City Thunder set the record for highest point differential per game played by a team in a season in 2024-2025.
Year Team Margin
2025 Oklahoma City Thunder 12.87
1972 Los Angeles Lakers 12.28
1971 Milwaukee Bucks 12.26
1996 Chicago Bulls 12.24
2017 Golden State Warriors 11.63
2024 Boston Celtics 11.34
1972 Milwaukee Bucks 11.16
1997 Chicago Bulls 10.80
2016 Golden State Warriors 10.76
2016 San Antonio Spurs 10.63
Scoring leaders
The top 10 in career playoff points in playoff games for both teams.
Timberwolves
Name Points Games
Kevin Garnett 1049 47
Anthony Edwards 1015 37
Karl-Anthony Towns 603 32
Jaden McDaniels 405 32
Wally Szcerbiak 369 29
Latrell Sprewell 357 18
Rudy Gobert 345 30
Naz Reid 311 31
Mike Conley 302 30
Sam Casell 265 16
Thunder
Name Points Games
Kevin Durant 2620 91
Russell Westbrook 2489 98
Gary Payton 1668 94
Gus Williams 1604 69
Shawn Kemp 1386 74
Fred Brown 1197 83
Jack Sikma 1033 69
Serge Ibaka 971 89
Dennis Johnson 967 54
Detelf Schrempf 868 52
Minnesota product
OKC’s Chet Holmgren attended Minnehaha Academy, a Christian private school in Minneapolis. He was a teammate there of current Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs.
Now 7-foot-1, Holmgren played college basketball at Gonzaga and was drafted second overall in the 2022 NBA draft.
During this year’s playoffs he is averaging 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
First win
The first win in Minnesota playoff history came on April 26, 1998 when the Wolves won 98-93 in Game 2 of their Western Conference First Round series vs. Seattle at Seattle Center. The Sonics had won Game 1 handily, 108-83.
Stephon Marbury led Minnesota with 25 points and seven rebounds.
Terry Porter scored 21 points, Sam Mitchell had 18, and Kevin Garnett 15 in the victory.
The Timberwolves only played seven players in the game, with Tom Hammonds and Michael Williams as the sixth and seventh men that saw action. Gary Payton scored 32 to lead the Sonics.
The series then shifted to Target Center, where Minnesota won Game 3 98-90 for a 2-1 lead.
The Sonics won Game 4, also at Target Center, 92-88 and then won Game 5 at home, 97-84.
Other notes
In advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive season, the Wolved are the first Minnesota men’s sports team to reach the conference finals since the Minnesota Vikings in 1976 and 1977.
The Wolves forced Golden State into 17 turnovers in their Game 5 win over the Warriors, making the sixth straight playoff game in which they have forced their opponents into 15-plus turnovers, the longest streak in franchise history and the longest active streak in the NBA.
Minnesota became the fourth No. 6 seed to advance to the Western Conference Finals. They’re the first to do it since the Houston Rockets in 1995.
The Wolves have won 19 playoff games with Chris Finch as the head coach. Flip Saunders is next with 17.
Since the start of the 2024 Playoffs, Minnesota has won 10 road playoff games. That’s the most by any team in the league in that stretch.
Playoff history
Minnesota Timberwolves
Here is a year-by-year rundown of the Minnesota Timberwolves playoff history.
1990
Missed playoffs
1991
Missed playoffs
1992
Missed playoffs
1993
Missed playoffs
1994
Missed playoffs
1995
Missed playoffs
1996
Missed playoffs
1997
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Houston Rockets 3-0
1998
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Seattle SuperSonics 3-2
1999
Western Conference First Round: Lost to San Antonio Spurs 3-1
2000
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Portland Trail Blazers 3-1
2001
Western Conference First Round: Lost to San Antonio Spurs 3-1
2002
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Dallas Mavericks 3-0
2003
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
2004
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Sacramento Kings 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
2005
Missed playoffs
2006
Missed playoffs
2007
Missed playoffs
2008
Missed playoffs
2009
Missed playoffs
2010
Missed playoffs
2011
Missed playoffs
2012
Missed playoffs
2013
Missed playoffs
2014
Missed playoffs
2015
Missed playoffs
2016
Missed playoffs
2017
Missed playoffs
2018
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Houston Rockets 4-1
2019
Missed playoffs
2020
Missed playoffs
2021
Missed playoffs
2022
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Memphis Grizzlies 4-2
2023
Western Conference Play-In Game: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 108-102 (OT)
Western Conference Play-In Game: Defeated Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Denver Nuggets 4-1
2024
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Phoenix Suns 4-0
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Dallas Mavericks 4-1
2025
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Golden State Warriors 4-1
Western Conference Finals: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder
1975
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Detroit Pistons 2-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Golden State Warriors 4-2
1976
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Phoenix Suns 4-2
1977
Missed playoffs
1978
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 2-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Portland Trail Blazers 4-2
Western Conference Finals: Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-2
NBA Finals: Lost to Washington Bullets 4-3
1979
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-1
Western Conference Finals: Defeated Phoenix Suns 4-3
NBA Finals: Defeated Washington Bullets 4-1
1980
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Portland Trail Blazers 2-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Milwaukee Bucks 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-1
1981
Missed playoffs
1982
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Houston Rockets 2-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to San Antonio Spurs 4-1
1983
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Portland Trail Blazers 2-0
1984
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Dallas Mavericks 3-2
1985
Western Conference First Round: Missed playoffs
1986
Missed playoffs
1987
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Dallas Mavericks 3-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Houston Rockets 4-2
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-0
1988
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Denver Nuggets 3-2
1989
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Houston Rockets 3-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-0
1990
Missed playoffs
1991
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Portland Trail Blazers 3-2
1992
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Golden State Warriors 3-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Utah Jazz 4-1
1993
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Utah Jazz 3-2
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Houton Rockets 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Phoenix Suns 4-3
1994
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Denver Nuggets 3-2
1995
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 3-1
1996
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Sacramento Kings 3-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Houston Rockets 4-0
Western Conference Finals: Defeated Utah Jazz 4-3
NBA Finals: Lost to Chicago Bulls 4-2
1997
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Phoenix Suns 3-2
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Houston Rockets 4-3
1998
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Minnesota Timberwolves 3-2
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-1
1999
Western Conference First Round: Missed playoffs
2000
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Utah Jazz 3-2
2001
Missed playoffs
2002
Western Conference First Round: Lost to San Antonio Spurs 3-2
2003
Missed playoffs
2004
Missed playoffs
2005
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Sacramento Kings 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to San Antonio Spurs 4-2
2006
Missed playoffs
2007
Missed playoffs
2008
Missed playoffs
2009
Missed playoffs
2010
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
2011
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Memphis Grizzlies 4-3
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Dallas Mavericks 4-1
2012
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Dallas Mavericks 4-0
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Los Angeles Lakers 4-1
Western Conference Finals: Defeated San Antonio Spurs 4-2
NBA Finals: Lost to Miami Heat 4-1
2013
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Houston Rockets 4-2
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Memphis Grizzlies 4-1
2014
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Memphis Grizzlies 4-3
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Los Angeles Clippers 4-2
Western Conference Finals: Lost to San Antonio Spurs 4-2
2015
Missed playoffs
2016
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Dallas Mavericks 4-1
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated San Antonio Spurs 4-2
Western Conference Finals: Lost to Golden State Warriors 4-3
2017
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Houston Rockets 4-1
2018
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Utah Jazz 4-2
2019
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Portland Trail Blazers 4-1
2020
Western Conference First Round: Lost to Houston Rockets 4-3
2021
Missed playoffs
2022
Missed playoffs
Missed playoffs
2024
Western Conference First Round: Defeated New Orleans Pelicans 4-0
Western Conference Semifinals: Lost to Dallas Mavericks 4-2
2025
Western Conference First Round: Defeated Memphis Grizzlies 4-0
Western Conference Semifinals: Defeated Denver Nuggets 4-3
Western Conference Finals: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves