OKC defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-88 in Tuesday's Game 1 at Paycom Center with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way as he has all season. The MVP candidate finished with 31 points, nine assists, five rebounds and three steals and spearheaded a strong second-half comeback effort.

The NBA fined Oklahoma City star Jalen Williams $25,000 on Monday for "wearing clothing with profane language" to his press conference after the Thunder's Game 7 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

In a recent mock draft on Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman has the Thunder selecting Liam McNeeley, a former five-star UConn product. At 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, Wasserman compared McNeeley to Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray.

For the first time in nearly a decade, the OKC Thunder is headed to the Western Conference finals. To get there, it took surviving the Denver Nuggets.