The Thunder became the first team to clinch a playoff spot by virtue of their 113-108 victory over Orlando on Tuesday. It’s the 13th playoff spot earned by the franchise since 2010, the team tweets.
Oklahoma City, which has won nine straight, improved its record to an NBA-best 54-15 with 13 games remaining. Oklahoma City is now assured of a top six finish in the Western Conference and a berth in the first round of the playoffs. The Suns, who held the No. 7 spot in the conference entering Tuesday’s action, had 39 wins pending the result of its game against Minnesota.
The Thunder still has plenty of work to do to notch the top seed in the playoffs. The Spurs have 50 wins entering its game against Sacramento on Tuesday. Oklahoma City is close to clinching the division, pending the results of the Timberwolves game as well as the Nuggets’ game against Philadelphia.
The defending champions set a blistering pace, winning 24 of their first 25 games. The Thunder then split their next 12 games before a four-game winning streak in late December and early January. They also reeled off five straight victories in mid-January, then went 10-8 over their next 18 games prior to the current hot streak.
Oklahoma City’s depth has allowed it to overcome extended injury absences from two starters — Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein.