Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 5/22/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Thursday, May 22, 2025

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+8.0)

The Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) are headed to Paycom Center on Thursday where they will compete against the Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. OKC leads the series 1 - 0. Minnesota opens as 8-point dogs. The total is set at 214.

The Timberwolves stepped onto the hardwood against the Thunder and took a loss by a final of 114-88 in Game 1. Regarding personal fouls, the Timberwolves left the arena with 22 and the Thunder racked up 22 personal fouls. They converted 11 of their 21 tries from three-point range. Oklahoma City shot 80.8% when shooting free throws by knocking down 21 of 26 shots. Additionally, Oklahoma City snagged 46 rebounds (9 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 7 blocks. Oklahoma City earned 27 dimes and had 13 steals in this matchup. Pertaining to the defense, Minnesota allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 41 of 82 shooting. They also recorded 18 assists for the contest while forcing 15 turnovers and having 5 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they earned 42 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Timberwolves converted 15 of their 21 shots for a rate of 71.4%. Minnesota ended the game having earned a 34.9% FG percentage (29 out of 83) and made 15 out of their 51 3-point shots.

Julius Randle is one player who played a role for the game. He racked up 28 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 36 mins and snagged 8 rebounds. Randle finished 69.2% from the floor and also recorded 1 assist.

Get all of our NBA Parlay Picks

Minnesota enters this contest with a mark of 49-33 so far this season. They cough up possession 14.5 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 18.3 fouls every game. As a unit, Minnesota is collecting 44.3 boards per game and has 2,142 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 17th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Timberwolves are shooting 37.7% on three-point shots (1,233 of 3,269) and 78.9% from the free throw line. They average 114.3 points per outing (13th in basketball) while going 46.8% from the field.

On defense, the Timberwolves are forcing 14.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.2 fouls. They rank 5th in the league in allowing assists with 2,032 conceded on the campaign. The Timberwolves are giving up a FG percentage of 46.0% (3,319 of 7,213) and they surrender 42.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They concede 35.3% from beyond the arc and they are 5th in the league in PPG allowed (109.3).

In Game 1, the Thunder collected 37 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 46 for this game. They also turned it over 15 times, while recording 13 steals for the game. The Timberwolves were called for 22 personal fouls for this contest which got the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 26 attempts. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throw tries for a rate of 80.8%. With respect to shooting from distance, Oklahoma City made 11 out of their 21 tries (52.4%). When all was said and done, the Thunder walked away from this one shooting 41 for 82 from the field which had them shooting 50.0%. The Thunder permitted the Timberwolves to knock down 29 of 83 tries from the floor which had them shooting 34.9% in the matchup. They finished 29.4% from three-point range by connecting on 15 of 51 and finished the contest at 15 of 21 from the charity stripe (71.4%). In regard to cleaning the glass, Oklahoma City permitted Minnesota to get 42 in all (12 on the offensive side).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up being important for the Thunder for this contest. Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 31 points in his 38 mins of playing time and had 9 dimes for the contest. He converted 10 out of 27 for the contest for a rate of 37.0%, and had 5 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss mark of 68-14 for the campaign. The Thunder commit 19.9 fouls per game and they go 81.9% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 26.9 times per contest (12th in basketball) and they turn it over 11.7 times per game. Oklahoma City has earned 9,881 pts so far this season (120.5 per contest) and they pull in 44.8 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Thunder are connecting on 48.2% from the field, which has them ranked 7th in basketball.

The Thunder on defense are ranked 3rd in the league in points per game surrendered with 107.6. They are able to force 17.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the floor (1st in the league). The Oklahoma City defense surrenders 34.2% on 3-point shots (1,104 of 3,225) and their opponents are converting on 77.4% of their foul shots. They surrender 24.6 dimes and 44.9 boards per contest, which ranks them 4th and 20th in the NBA.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (-8.0)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here