Two former Kentucky guards will face off in Western Conference Finals

On Friday night, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves to advance to the NBA Western Conference Finals. There they will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. It's a matchup of two elite teams, and a matchup between two former Kentucky Wildcats guards.

The Spurs are led by all-world center Victory Wembanyama, but point guard De'Aaron Fox is the engine that makes them go. Fox averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 assists per game this season and had 21 points and 9 assists in the series clinching game on Friday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and one of the league's brightest stars. He averaged over 30 points per game for the fourth straight season, and has led the Thunder to eight straight postseason wins. They're also the defending champions.

Both former Wildcats starred in Lexington for one season. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 assists on the 2017-18 team that made it to the Sweet 16.

Fox averaged 16.7 points and 4.6 assists per game for the Wildcats in 2016-17. That team made a run all the way to the Elite Eight.

This season's matchup between the Spurs and Thunder figures to be an exciting one. Oklahoma City will be favored, but San Antonio won't go down easily. Game one tips off on Monday at 8:30 P.M. ET.

This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky basketball well represented in NBA Western Conference Finals