(Basketball news) The Minnesota Timberwolves breezed past the Oklahoma City Thunder as they beat them 120-95. For the Timberwolves, Karl Anthony Towns had 28 points and 11 rebounds as Gobert had 21 points and 10 rebounds in his return from exile for swinging at teammate Kyle Anderson while Anthony Edwards added 19 points and 10 rebounds.

For OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring with 22 points, going 12 for 12 from the free throw line but just 5 for 19 from the field as Jalen Williams and Lu Dort each scored 17 points. The Wolves filled out the NBA playoff bracket by seizing the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a near-perfect performance as they face the number 1 seed in Denver Nuggets.

“We utilized our size. We did a great job of putting pressure on the paint and just doing what we do best,” Towns said. “Rudy was fantastic. He did a lot for us and really imposed his presence.”

“We are in the standings, but I don’t consider us as an ‘8’ seed,” Gobert said, adding: “We know if we play the right way, there’s not a team in the league that we can’t beat.”

“It’s been really fun this year. We kind of turned the corner a little bit,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“It was nice not to give back a lead, which we’ve done quite a bit,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “The guys were super locked-in. They knew what it was going to take.”

The Miami Heat bounced back from a disappointing performance against the Atlanta Hawks as they beat the Chicago Bulls 102-91. For the Heat, Strus and Butler scored 31 points apiece as Tyler Herro added 12 points and Bam Adebayo grabbed 17 rebounds.

For the Bulls, DeMar DeRozan led the scoring with 26 points and nine assists as Alex Caruso added 16 points, Zach Lavine had 15 but shot just 6 for 20, and Coby White scored 14. The Heat face the number seed in the East which is going to be a repeat of the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.

“Our team has obviously not been perfect this year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But I do know one thing about the men in that locker room: The last 48 hours, I know how categorically, unequivocally, how badly and desperately our group wanted to get into this damn thing – and get into the playoffs to have an opportunity to compete for a title.”

“Our team has obviously not been perfect this year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But I do know one thing about the men in that locker room: The last 48 hours, I know how categorically, unequivocally, how badly and desperately our group wanted to get into this damn thing – and get into the playoffs to have an opportunity to compete for a title.”

“I don’t think any of us felt any type of pressure,” Butler said. “We went out, we competed.”

“Win or go home,” said Strus, an Illinois native who started his career with the Bulls. “We’re not done yet.”

Also read: NBA: OKC shock the Pelicans to clinch the 9th spot while Bulls beat the Raptors