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The play-in games are down to their final match-ups for the last spot in the 2023 NBA playoffs. The second game on Friday, April 14 sees the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot against the Denver Nuggets in Round 1.
The game (9:30 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on TNT, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on DirecTV Stream, which includes TNT and comes with a free trial.
That’s the best live stream option if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways you can watch a live stream of the Timberwolves vs Thunder online:
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DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” TNT is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Timberwolves vs Thunder live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with TNT, and you can get your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Timberwolves vs Thunder live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Timberwolves vs Thunder live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Timberwolves vs Thunder Preview
The NBA play-in games give the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds a chance at making the playoffs. The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced out of the 9 vs 10 game as the 10 seed and will now face off with the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, who lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, April 11. The winner of the Thunder vs Timberwolves match-up will move on to become the final seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They will play the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets in a best-of-seven series starting on Sunday, April 16. The playoff series are played in the 2-2-1-1-1 format, which means the higher seed hosts games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and the lower seed hosts 3, 4, and 6.
Following their 5-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans to advance to face off with the Timberwolves, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised his team in a press conference for not getting in their own heads when the Pelicans went on some runs against them.
“[It was a] great 48-minute effort out of the team, great poise. Obviously, New Orleans made a couple of big runs at us … thought our guys just had a great temperament in the huddles. Got back to our stuff. We weren’t perfect tonight, but we got back to our habits. It was a great effort out of our team,” said Daigneault.
He continued, “I think it’s important to recognize that a lot of the things that showed up in the game tonight are things that we’ve been trying to build obviously through this season, but even before this season … I thought a lot of those habits showed up tonight. We were able to lean back on those when we really needed them.”
He also praised his players’ time management and controlling the game, especially down the stretch.
“I thought great situational execution by the players, managed the clock really well, got ourselves in a position where we’d have the last possession even if they scored … great job on the full-court plays, they had to earn those. Great job getting the ball in bounds, both on our side out and quick and in under the basket. I just thought the guys, again, showed great confidence and poise in those situations,” said the coach.
The Timberwolves vs Thunder game tips off on Friday, April 14 at approximately 9:30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.