Thunder rout Wolves to win Western title

NBA PLAYOFFS

The Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins (21) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, watch the final minutes of their team’s series-clinching Game 5 win over the Timberwolves in Oklahoma City. Matthew Stockman / Getty images

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 on Wednesday night to win the Western Conference finals series 4-1 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012.

Chet Holmgren had 22 points, seven rebounds and three blocks and Jalen Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds for the host Thunder.

A fanbase that had suffered through the loss of Kevin Durant through free agency in 2016 and a rebuild that took the team near the bottom of the league’s standings just four years ago let loose in the fourth quarter when the Thunder sat their starters with 5:14 remaining and a 108-74 lead.

Oklahoma City will play the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the finals. Indiana leads the Eastern Conference finals series 3-1 with Game 5 to be played in New York today. Oklahoma City will have homecourt advantage when the Finals begin on June 5 because of its league-best 68-14 regular-season record.

Julius Randle scored 24 points and Anthony Edwards added 19 for the Timberwolves, who shot just 41.2% from the field and committed 21 turnovers.

Oklahoma City opened the game on an 11-3 run and extended the advantage throughout the first quarter. Cason Wallace drained a 3-pointer as the first quarter expired to put the Thunder up 26-9 at the end of the period.

Oklahoma City led 65-32 at halftime and 88-62 heading into the fourth quarter.

Pacers look to finish off Knicks tonight

The Indiana Pacers need just one win to reach the NBA Finals and they already have two of them at Madison Square Garden in this series.

They can finish off the New York Knicks quickly, just like they play. But while the Pacers like their games fast, they were trying not to get ahead of themselves as they prepared for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals tonight.

“We’re still pretty young so we’re learning by some of the experience that we’re getting right now, but we’ve got to stay in the moment,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ve got to keep our eye on the ball and go day to day and moment to moment here.”

Indiana opened a 3-1 lead with a 130-121 victory Tuesday behind Tyrese Haliburton, who had 32 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds without a turnover, the first 30-15-10 game in the postseason with no turnovers since they were tracked beginning in 1977-78.

The Pacers have three opportunities to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. They fell to the Lakers in 2000 in their only time playing for the title.