The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to fight for first place and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The battle will likely come down to the final days of the regular season.
OKC has sole possession of first place with a half-game lead over the Denver Nuggets. The Minnesota Timberwolves are just one game back. The top three of the Western Conference standings will involve this trio of squads.
The Thunder (52-22) continue their season-long five-game road trip when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. Inching closer to a return, Joel Embiid will remain out. OKC will be without Jalen Williams and possibly Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Until the conclusion of the regular season on April 14, Thunder Wire will conduct daily updates on the Western Conference standings and where the Thunder stand while exploring who they could face in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns collected a double-digit win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Devin Booker scored 52 points and nine assists. Phoenix is hoping to avoid the play-in tournament.
The Thunder will face the Sixers. The primetime matchup could be without the top four players. Embiid and Williams have already been ruled out. Gilgeous-Alexander and Maxey are questionable.
The Timberwolves host the Houston Rockets, who recently had their 11-game win streak snapped. Minnesota hopes to keep pace for the first seed. The Nuggets host the San Antonio Spurs in what should be an easy win for Denver.
The LA Clippers square off against the Sacramento Kings. Both teams desperately need to rack up wins to improve their seed positioning with a little under two weeks left in the regular season.
Important matchups:
- Thunder vs. Sixers 6:30 p.m. CT TNT
- Rockets vs. Timberwolves 7 p.m. CT
- Spurs vs. Nuggets 8 p.m. CT
- Clippers vs. Kings 9 p.m. CT
Considering the Thunder have a good shot of finishing first or second, they’ll need to keep an eye on the group of teams that could be involved in the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Toronto Raptors. It should be an easy win for Los Angeles as Toronto has lost 13 in a row. The Dallas Mavericks will play the Golden State Warriors as both teams enter with lengthy win streaks. Dallas has won seven in a row and Golden State has won four.
Important matchups:
- Lakers vs. Raptors 6 p.m. CT
- Mavericks vs. Warriors 9 p.m. CT
- Oklahoma City…
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