Thunder clinch playoff spot
The Oklahoma City Thunder have already clinched a 2026 NBA playoff spot as the regular season tightens and teams jockey for seeding. The 2026 NBA Playoffs are scheduled to begin April 18, with the post-season again using the play‑in tournament to decide final seeds. (sports.betmgm.com) (latination.com)
The game that made the Thunder’s postseason status mathematically secure was a 100-87 road win at Dallas on March 1; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and Chet Holmgren added 19 points and nine rebounds in that game. (espn.com) ESPN’s postseason tracker identifies Oklahoma City as the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season, a designation that’s mirrored in the NBA.com postseason updates. (espn.com) Through games on March 20 the Thunder sat at 55-15 and were listed as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference bracket on NBA.com’s standings update. (basketball-reference.com) Advanced metrics on Basketball-Reference show Oklahoma City with a +11.0 net rating, a defensive rating of 107.3 and an SRS of 10.77 for the 2025-26 regular season. (basketball-reference.com) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging about 31.5 points per game this season and followed the March 1 performance with a 40-point outing in a 113-108 road win at Orlando on March 17. (espn.com)
