The Thunder hosts the Timberwolves at noon Central on ABC. Oklahoma City enters this contest with a seven-game winning streak, but Minnesota has won the past two matchups against the reigning champs. 

Jalen Williams remains sidelined. On the bright side, Isaiah Hartenstein is questionable to play after missing the past three games. Check out key matchups for this potential playoff preview. 

Since the All-Star break, Jaylin Williams has averaged 12.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 53.1% from the field and 50.9% from deep. He’s playing defense at a high level and doing the dirty work, too. 

Oklahoma City needs another strong performance from the former second-round pick because Hartenstein may not suit up. Chet Holmgren also recently missed two games with an illness and did not appear to be fully recovered in the Thunder’s last game, which only places more importance on Williams’ production. 

Minnesota has a ton of size and length, so Williams must fight for rebounds and battle on the blocks. Knocking down jumpers would also pull the Timberwolves’ bigs away from the hoop, thus opening up driving lanes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company. 

Overall, Williams is the biggest X Factor in this game. 

Although depth has never been better and more important in the NBA, it’s still a league defined by superstars. 

Gilgeous-Alexander just broke the all-time record for consecutive regular season games with at least 20 points, and he’s the heavy favorite to repeat as MVP. But it’s a very difficult matchup for him. Jaden McDaniels’ blend of length and mobility can give Gilgeous-Alexander fits, and Rudy Gobert remains an elite interior defender who deters rim attempts. 

Edwards has averaged 31.2 points per game on 50/40/84 shooting splits since the All-Star break. However, it will be tough sledding for him because of Luguentz Dort, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso’s perimeter defense. 

The game may come down to a duel in clutch time between these superstars. Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league this season in total clutch points, and he is averaging 8.2 points per fourth quarter on 68/57/87 shooting splits this month according to NBA.com. On the other hand, Edwards ranks fourth across the association in total clutch points this season on 56% shooting from the field. 

Ajay Mitchell has stabilized Oklahoma City’s bench since returning from injury. He scored 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field against Denver and contributed 15 points and six assists versus Boston. 

His ability to create shots for himself and his teammates is massive for a Thunder offense that can become sluggish and predictable when Gilgeous-Alexander takes a breather. If Mitchell continues to shoot the basketball efficiently, then it will increase the margin for error for Oklahoma City’s starters.