NBA: We know the Western and Eastern Conference Finals brackets

Oklahoma City crushed Denver on Sunday at home in a one-sided Game 7 (125-93) and thus qualified for the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2016. The team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 points) was simply superior to the 2023 champion and will face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday for a ticket to the NBA Finals.

"It's a good thing, but our goal is not just the conference finals, but we have to go through that to get there," said "SGA," who is among the favorites for the regular season MVP award.

"We did that tonight and now we have four games to play against a very good team, the Timberwolves, and that's what we're focused on," added Gilgeous-Alexander, who made 12 of 19 shots (3 of 4 from three-point range).

With this victory, we know the final four that will compete for the 2025 NBA title. The Conference Finals will begin this Tuesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves will open the ball on the night of May 20-21 in the West. In the East, the first duel between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers is scheduled for the following day, on the night of May 21-22 (2 a.m. French time at Madison Square Garden).

To reach these finals, OKC was also able to count on 24 points from Jalen Williams, and on the young Chet Holmgren, who signed a double-double, with 13 points and 11 rebounds. "SGA's" rival for the MVP title, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, did not disappoint with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Christian Braun contributed 19 points and Jamal Murray 13.

Aaron Gordon, who suffered a Grade 2 hamstring tear in Game 6 of this series, surprised the Nuggets by starting five, but he ultimately played only 25 minutes (8 points, 11 rebounds). Earlier in the day, ESPN reporter Shams Charania explained that Gordon would start the game despite the injury requiring "weeks to heal."

The Nuggets started off with a bang, even taking an 11-point lead midway through the first quarter. However, the game shifted decisively in the second quarter, when Oklahoma City stepped up its offensive game to win the game 39-20.

"We wanted to keep the pressure on at the end of the half because we haven't been very good in the third quarter since the beginning of the series," Gilgeous-Alexander explained. "We wanted to emphasize that and come back stronger. That's what we did."

David Adelman, the Nuggets' interim coach after Michael Malone's firing just over a month ago, lamented that his team failed to capitalize on its strong start to the first quarter. "It was our chance to take control of the game," he said. "But they kept bringing in new players and they overwhelmed us."

Denver struggled defensively and committed far too many turnovers (22) that the Thunder's offense converted into 37 points. "Turnovers were a major issue in this game," Adelman said. "Sometimes turnovers don't matter. But 16 steals on turnovers is 37 points on your mistakes. You're not going to win a playoff game like that."

"I'm devastated for the guys on the pitch. (...) We got off to the start we wanted, then everything changed so quickly... It's heartbreaking," he sighed.