Gilgeous-Alexander puts Thunder on brink of NBA Finals

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander produced a stunning capacity arsenic nan Oklahoma City Thunder hit nan Minnesota Timberwolves to move wrong 1 triumph of nan NBA Finals.

Oklahoma led 65-57 astatine nan break and 90-85 astatine nan extremity of nan 3rd quarter, but had to past a precocious Minnesota fightback to return a 3-1 lead successful nan seven-game series.

Gilgeous-Alexander - who scored 40 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and provided 10 assists - made 5 of six free propulsion attempts successful nan last 15 seconds to seal a 128-126 victory.

Jalen Williams added 34 points connected 13-for-24 shooting, while Chet Holmgren vanished pinch 21 points connected nine-for-14 shooting.

The capacity of Mark Daigneault's broadside was an awesome consequence to nan 143-101 thrashing they suffered successful crippled three.

"We did a bully occupation of staying successful nan infinitesimal tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

"We evidently had a bad sensation successful our rima from nan past game, and we conscionable wanted to power nan things that we could power tonight. I deliberation staying successful nan infinitesimal was nan champion measurement to do so.

"We could person been amended coming for sure. Tonight wasn't perfect, but we gave ourselves a chance... and we sewage a W."

The Timberwolves pushed Oklahoma City each nan way, pinch Nickeil Alexander-Walker scoring 23 points disconnected nan bench, Jaden McDaniels contributing 22 points, and Donte DiVincenzo finishing pinch 21.

"Everything is retired there," Alexander-Walker said.

"There's nary secrets. They cognize really to hit us. We cognize really to hit them. It's conscionable astir going retired location and doing it and who wants it much [and who is] trying to execute it more.

"We showed that astatine times passim this game, but consistency, that's each it has to be."

Victory successful crippled 5 successful Oklahoma connected Wednesday (01:30 BST connected Thursday) will unafraid nan Thunder a spot successful nan NBA Finals for nan first clip since 2012, wherever they would look either nan Indiana Pacers aliases nan New York Knicks.