Thunder eager to clinch top spot in West in visit to Clippers
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder can clinch the top playoff seed in the Western Conference for the third consecutive season when they face the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif.
The Thunder (63-16) are red-hot heading toward the playoffs with an 18-1 record in their last 19 games. Oklahoma City won its sixth consecutive game with a 123-87 victory on the road victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 25 points and eight assists, while Chet Holmgren scored 15 points with 10 rebounds. The bench proved effective as well, with Isaiah Joe scoring 18 points and Jared McCain adding 15.
Joe made six 3-pointers as the Thunder shot 50.6% from the floor and were even better from distance at 51.2%.
"The playoffs aren't here yet, but we've clinched an opportunity to be there," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. "We take it a day at a time and try to stay incredibly present, and I do think that is what allows the team to enjoy the process as much as they do. We try to keep two feet on the ground and not look too far ahead."
With the second-place San Antonio Spurs also playing well down the stretch, the Thunder have remained at their best in order to close in on the top playoff seed in the West. The Spurs have gone 17-2 in their last 19 games.
"We just have to focus on what is in front of us, how we can improve," Holmgren said. "Seeding doesn't matter until all 82 (regular-season) games are up. We can't focus on (the No. 1 seed) and lose sight of improvement."
The Clippers (41-38) moved a full game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers for eighth place in the West. The Nos. 7 and 8 teams meet in the play-in-tournament, with the winner advancing into the playoff field and the loser still alive. The teams in the No. 9/10 game must win twice in order to make it to the playoff field.
A matchup on Friday between the Clippers and the host Trail Blazers will go a long way toward determining play-in seedings. While the Clippers are playing the Thunder on Wednesday, while the Trail Blazers will face the Spurs.
Los Angeles earned a 116-103 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday as Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points and Darius Garland added 22.
Leonard, who has been playing with a sore wrist the past six games, was 11-for-19 from the floor and 6-for-10 from 3-point range.
"He's doing it by example, playing every night, playing through injuries and things he's going through right now," Los Angeles head coach Tyronn Lue said. "He's been able to produce and carry this team to wins."
When the Clippers were an abysmal 6-21 on Dec. 18 after a loss to the Thunder, Lue challenged the team to go 35-20 the rest of the way. Tuesday was Los Angeles' 35th victory since the challenge.
"I give all the credit to our players and the coaching staff," Lue said. "The coaches have done an unbelievable job of staying positive and showing the guys ways to get better. And our players are sticking with it."