The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95 in the Western Conference play-in tournament game at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday, securing the final playoff berth in the West. They will play the Denver Nuggets in the first round that will begin at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Sunday.

Rudy Gobert returned for the Timberwolves after the one-game suspension for punching his teammate Kyle Anderson in the final regular season game against the New Orleans Pelicans. His return translated into immediate help for the team as he had a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. The French giant also went to the free throw line 14 times and made nine shots there.

Gobert made six shots, all under the hoop, and half of them were assisted by Karl-Anthony Towns, who shot 11-for-16 from the field to drop 28 points and 11 rebounds. With probably the best offensive skills facing the basket for a seven-footer, Towns punished every Thunder defender who tried to contain him alone as he made 10 of his 12 shots within the 3-point line. When they trapped him, Towns exploited his size and vision well to find Gobert open under the rim for easy dunks or layups.

Anthony Edwards shot better in Friday's game than he did in their previous loss against the Los Angeles Lakers by making three triples. More importantly, instead of taking many reckless shots regardless of the opponents' defense, he moved the ball in a more reasonable way to set up better opportunities for teammates and deliver six assists.

The competition was long gone for the Thunder early in the fourth quarter on Friday. With 2.05-meter-tall Jaylin Williams as their center, the team had unbeatable size disadvantage, thus, had to make up for it with better offensive performance. Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams and Luguentz Dort combined to go 10-for-20 behind the arc, but the rest of the team made only three of their 20 attempts from the outside.

The Thunder's young back-court dual, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) and Josh Giddey, both failed to complete their offensive task. Giddey missed 11 of his 13 field goals (FGs), failing to reach double digits in points, rebounds and assists. SGA shot 12-for-12 at the free throw line, but made only three of his 11 jumpers. When he couldn't punish Gobert or Towns in the middle range, his side lost their best weapon against the Timberwolves' "Twin Towers."

Butler heats up in 4th quarter to save Miami

The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 102-91 in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament game at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Friday, securing the final spot in the East playoffs. They will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round that will begin at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sunday.

Having suffered a painful loss to the Atlanta Hawks in their last game, especially in rebounds, the Heat pulled themselves together in Friday's game with better energy. They grabbed 14 more rebounds than the Bulls, including leading 10-5 on the offensive glass. Bam Adebayo was still in a poor form offensively as he went 1-for-9 from the field, but he beat Nikola Vucevic 17-9 in rebounds.

The Heat's victory was also built on the outstanding offensive performances of Max Strus and Jimmy Butler. Strus drained seven triples to score 31 points for the team. Butler didn't make any 3-pointer, but he scored 20 points in the paint, more than anyone else on Friday night. The Heat wasted the 14-point lead (29-15) they built in the first quarter and trailed by six (81-75) in the fourth period. Butler got 13 points in this quarter, leading the team to rally 35-23.

The Bulls had many to blame for Friday's loss, but Zach LaVine should face the worst criticism as he shot 6-for-21 from the field, including missing all five of his shots in the final period. He also committed court-high five turnovers. The Bulls may need a big shuffle this summer after another disappointing season.