OKC clinches West

Oklahoma City wrapped up the Western Conference’s top seed on Wednesday night by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 128-110, and that result also gave the Thunder the best record in the entire National Basketball Association at 64-16. The bracket on Thursday morning showed Oklahoma City locked into the No. 1 line with an opening series against the eventual No. 8 play-in winner. (cbssports.com) (nba.com) That changes the last few days of the regular season for everyone else in the West. San Antonio is now fixed at No. 2, Minnesota is fixed at No. 6, and the real scramble is in the middle with Denver at No. 3, the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 4, and Houston at No. 5. (cbssports.com) (nba.com) The bottom of the bracket is even messier. Phoenix is locked into the No. 7 play-in spot, Golden State is locked into No. 10, and the Clippers and Portland are still sitting in the two slots between them that decide who gets one or two chances to survive the play-in tournament. (cbssports.com) (nba.com) For Oklahoma City, the reward is not just a number next to its name. The No. 1 seed means home-court advantage through every Western Conference series, so if the Thunder reach a Game 7 before the Finals, that game will be in Oklahoma City instead of Denver, San Antonio, Los Angeles, or Houston. (espn.com) This is the third straight year the Thunder have finished first in the West, which puts this run in rare company. According to ESPN Research, only five other teams have put together a three-year streak of No. 1 seeds since the league expanded to a 16-team playoff format in 1983-84. (espn.com) (apnews.com) The Thunder did not coast to this spot. San Antonio ripped off 26 wins in 28 games starting on February 1 and turned the race into a real chase, but Oklahoma City answered by going 19-1 after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal strain on February 27. (espn.com) Wednesday’s clincher looked like a snapshot of why this team keeps ending up here. Chet Holmgren had 30 points and 14 rebounds against the Clippers, Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points and 11 assists, and Oklahoma City won by 18 on the road with the standings still carrying real stakes. (apnews.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The calendar matters now. The National Basketball Association play-in tournament starts on April 14, the full playoffs start on April 18, and Oklahoma City can spend the next few days watching the field sort itself out while the rest of the West fights over who has to take the hardest road. (nba.com) (espn.com)