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The Minnesota Timberwolves make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004.
The Minnesota Timberwolves recorded a 120-95 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Western Conference play-in fixture that took place in the early hours of Saturday, April 15, 2023.
The Timberwolves targeted a bounce-back victory after a fourth-quarter collapse in their loss to the LeBron James-inspired Los Angeles Lakers.
The young Thunder team aimed to return to the playoffs riding high on a shock away win against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Minnesota Timberwolves beat Oklahoma City Thunder
It was a back-and-forth first quarter as the Timberwolves edged the Thunder by one point.
It was in the second quarter the Timberwolves began to show off their superiority on the offensive end to put up 33 points and take a 10-point advantage to the halftime break.
The Timberwolves came back for the third quarter relentless as All-Star Anthony Edwards found his range. They put up 38 points and extended their lead to 17.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was unable to get into a rhythm as the Timberwolves put up 25 points in the fourth quarter to record a blowout victory.
Rudy Gobert returns to spark Timberwolves
The Timberwolves were missing the presence of French big man Rudy Gobert against the Lakers.
Gobert was suspended for hitting teammate Kyle Anderson in the chest during a bust-up at a time-out in their final game of the regular season against the Pelicans.
The French man was their star signing this offseason from the Utah Jazz as they traded away key players such as Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and four unprotected first-round picks in the deal.
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It has been an up-and-down season for Gobert since he joined but in the most important game for the Timberwolves, he showed up.
Gobert returned to the starting lineup and in 33 minutes of action put up a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds.
He also had two assists, made six of his 11 shots, and was nine of 14 from the free throw line.
Karl-Anthony Towns shows up big for the Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns continued his fine form for the Timberwolves since his return from injury.
Towns missed a large part of the regular season due to a calf issue and has been steady since his return to action.
He was efficient in the first quarter against the Lakers until foul trouble impacted his aggressiveness on the offensive end.
The return of Gobert to the lineup helped Town have another offensive explosion as he led the team in scoring with 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and provided three assists and three blocks.
Towns was 11 of 16 from the field, one of four from three-point range, and a perfect five from the free throw line.
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Minnesota Timberwolves to face Denver Nuggets
Victory against the Thunder means that the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the western conference playoffs.
It is a massive achievement for the franchise as they make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004.
The Timberwolves will now face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
The Nuggets led by two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic will produce a battle of big men against the Gobert and Towns-led Timberwolves.
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