Thunder clinch postseason
The Oklahoma City Thunder have officially clinched a postseason spot as the playoff picture tightens with just over six weeks left in the regular season. (espn.com) That locks in part of the bracket while teams like the Pacers, Wizards and Jazz remain under ‘tank watch’ for the draft lottery. (usatoday.com)
ESPN’s postseason tracker marks March 1’s 100-87 road win at Dallas as the point the Thunder could no longer be eliminated from the postseason; other outlets flagged the March 17 Orlando win as the day OKC became the first team this season to officially lock up a spot. (espn.com) The March 17 game in Orlando finished 113-108, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pouring in 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting and Chet Holmgren contributing a 20-point, 12-rebound night in support. (abs-cbn.com) That victory moved Oklahoma City to an NBA-best 54-15 and extended a nine-game winning streak, leaving the Thunder with 13 regular-season games remaining when reports noted the clinch. (hoopsrumors.com) From a standings and schedule perspective, the Thunder’s result guarantees at least a top-six Western Conference finish while the SoFi play‑in tournament opens April 14 and the playoffs begin April 18. (nba.com) The franchise celebrated its 13th postseason appearance since 2010 with this advance, a tally media noted as one of the higher totals in the league over that span. (oklahoman.com) Meanwhile the bottom of the league remains in focus for draft positioning: mid‑March tank‑watch trackers continue to list the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz among the teams jockeying for higher odds in the May 10 lottery. (usatoday.com)
