The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have advanced to the Western Conference Finals. The series will broadcast on ESPN.

Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opens up about his leadership amid their best-of-7 series against the Timberwolves.

"Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he showed why he's MVP," Michael Malone said Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN's postgame coverage when discussing the Oklahoma City Thunder's 114-88 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Alexander drops 31 points in the Thunder's Game 1 win over the Timberwolves.

The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a slow first half and earned a convincing 114-88 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. There were plenty of intriguing takeaways,

The audience for the 2025 NBA Playoffs on ESPN platforms ( ESPN and ABC) is up 12% from last year, according to Nielsen. Through the Conference Semifinals (22 games), ESPN is averaging 4,883,000 viewers, making it the second-most watched NBA Playoffs since 2011.

Michael Malone, who was fired by the Denver Nuggets with three games remaining in the regular season, will join ESPN for coverage of the Western Conference finals.

The Thunder left no doubt in Game 7, dismantling the Nuggets behind 22 forced turnovers and a swarming defense.