• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Timberwolves-Thunder Preview

Apr 4, 2010 - 4:45 AM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Minnesota (15-60) at Oklahoma City (46-28), 7:00 p.m. EDT

Now a playoff team for the first time since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are not satisfied with just qualifying for the postseason.

Fresh of securing the franchise's first playoff berth in five seasons, Oklahoma City looks to continue its push up the Western Conference standings Sunday night when it hosts a Minnesota Timberwolves team that's dropped nine straight on the road.

The Thunder (47-28) capped off a 3-0 trip and earned a playoff spot with Saturday's 121-116 victory over Southwest Division-leading Dallas. The last time the Oklahoma City franchise advanced to the postseason was 2004-05, when the Seattle SuperSonics were the Northwest Division champs and advanced to the West semifinals.

It's been a remarkable turnaround this season for the Thunder, who went 23-59 and finished near the bottom of the West standings last season after relocating from the Pacific Northwest.

"It's been a great year and a lot of fun. ...we've expected to be in the playoffs the last month or two months," said veteran forward Nick Collison. "We're just going to try to keep winning and get a better seed."

Oklahoma City is currently sixth in the West, two games out of the second-place logjam between Dallas, Denver, Utah and Phoenix. A game versus lowly Minnesota could help the Thunder continue their surge and bid for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Looking to avoid getting swept in the season series against the Oklahoma City franchise for the first time since 1996-97, the Timberwolves go for their first victory on the road since Feb. 23 against Miami.

Minnesota lost 97-84 to visiting Miami on Saturday after snapping a franchise high-tying 16-game slide Wednesday against Sacramento.

"We just want to leave with a good taste in our mouth at the end of the season," forward Kevin Love said after posting his third straight double-double Saturday with 11 points and 11 rebounds. "We've had a really tough road. I think for the last 15 or 20 games we've been playing major playoff teams ... we try to knock off as many as possible, but we haven't had too much success."

Minnesota dropped a pair of two-point games to the visiting Thunder this season before losing 109-92 on Feb. 26 at the Ford Center.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points with nine rebounds in that matchup while Russell Westbrook had 18 points, a franchise high-tying 15 assists and was two rebounds shy of his second straight triple-double versus Minnesota.

"This isn't the type of team that you're going to come into this environment and outscore," said Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis, whose team is allowing 113.9 points per game during its road losing streak.

Former No. 2 overall draft pick Darko Milicic, averaging 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in the last seven games, is expected to be in Minnesota's starting lineup Sunday after getting elbowed in the jaw and leaving in the second quarter of Saturday's defeat.

The Timberwolves (15-61) need one victory to avoid matching the franchise-worst record of 15-67 set in 1991-92.

Oklahoma City has won four straight in this series since a 129-87 loss in Minnesota on Jan. 7, 2009.