The Thunder's Playoff Road Could Be A Lot Easier With The Help Of The Timberwolves

OKC is hoping for some extra rest and an opponent that won't be as much trouble.

May 12, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives to the basket during the first half of game five of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Thunder could use a bit of help from a Western Conference foe. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder are awaiting to find out who will be their opponent in the Western Conference Finals. OKC has had plenty of rest, as they swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, and are now waiting to see if they will face the San Antonio Spurs or the Minnesota Timberwolves in round three. 

The Spurs are the current frontrunners to meet OKC in the next round, as they are up 3-2 in the series. While Oklahoma City has the talent to compete with any team at any time, the Thunder could be seeking aid from the Timberwolves to make sure San Antonio doesn’t meet OKC so soon, or maybe not at all. 

More rest always helps, especially when you need the rest. The schedule for the Western Conference Final has been released, and if the Spurs and Timberwolves series ends in six games, the next round will start on Monday, but if it goes seven, then the series will start on Wednesday. 

A couple of extra days might not be that much, but Oklahoma City is counting on the return of Jalen Williams for the Western Conference Finals. Williams hasn’t seen the court since Game 2 of the first round, and can use all the time he can get to make a full recovery. 

The Timberwolves winning Game 6 on Friday night would help the Thunder get the maximum rest possible. Then, while they’re at it, Oklahoma City also wouldn’t mind Minnesota winning Game 7, so it was the Timberwolves Oklahoma City saw instead of San Antonio. 

The Thunder didn’t have the best track record against the Spurs in the regular season, with San Antonio winning four out of the five bouts. Three of the losses were by double-digits as the Spurs seemed to have OKC’s number. 

Now, many things go into these games, as players were missing and bad performances were had, but the truth still stands that the Thunder had a tough time against the Spurs. Oklahoma City didn’t dominate the Timberwolves, as the regular-season series was split 2-2, but they seem more beatable than San Antonio. 

That being said, the reigning champs have the ability to beat any team in any given series. When Oklahoma City plays its best basketball, they are nearly impossible to stop. To do so, the Thunder will need Jalen Williams to return at full health, and Minnesota can give OKC the best shot of that with a win on Friday night.