Thunder, Timberwolves Matchup High Flying Offense with Good Defense

Oklahoma City is just one win away from a playoff series, the only foe in its way now is the Timberwolves in a battle for the eight seed.

The Thunder made history on Wednesday becoming the first 10-seed to win a play-in game and could continue to make history and play into the playoffs. OKC and MInnesota are no strangers to each other as division foes. The two teams have squared off four times in the regular season with the Timberwolves taking three of the four games. While Minnesota won the majority of the matchups, all the games were decided by 10 or less points including a two-point Wolves win in the most recent meeting.

The Thunder and Timberwolves matchup well much like the Pelicans and Thunder did in terms of where they rank statistically in the league. OKC scores the fifth most points in the league with 117.5 points per game using a fast-paced drive heavy offense. The T-Wolves on the other hand rank 13th with a respectable 115.8 points per game.

The biggest difference, which could come down to being a deciding factor in who wins the meeting on Friday comes to field goal percentage. The Timberwolves have a large advantage in shooting efficiency. Minnesota shoots 49% from the field which ranks third in the league, narrowly behind the Kings and Nuggets. OKC’s percentage ranks down near the bottom of the league at 24th with a 46.5% clip.

Both teams rank near the middle of the pack in 3-point percentage while they also both take a lot of 3-point shots. Both teams have a tendency to go on streaky shooting stretches, which is a key to having the upper-hand on Friday night.

Despite being undersized and lacking true big men in their rotation, the Thunder is an impressive rebounding team ranking 14th in the league with 43.6 rebounds per game. While the Timberwolves have one of the better big men in the league with Rudy Gobert, the team 23rd in the league in rebounding.

OKC has a more efficient overall offense in terms of the offensive ratings, but the Timberwolves tout a top-10 defense according to overall defensive ratings. The two teams matchup well as their strengths match the other teams strengths. With everything on the line the game is setting up to be a battle with the winner continuing on into the playoffs.

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