Who will the Thunder face? Discover the thrilling play-in tournament matchups that will determine OKC's first-round opponent.
The Oklahoma City Thunder can clinch the #1 overall seed with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. Or a San Antonio Spurs loss to the Portland Trail Blazers would do it. Or a Thunder win over the Denver Nuggets or in the regular season finale against the Phoenix Suns. Or a Spurs loss to the Dallas Mavericks or the Denver Nuggets.
The point being that OKC is a near lock to secure the #1 seed in the Western Conference for the third straight season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and the rest of the squad will enjoy a full week off while four teams battle it out in the Play-In Tournament.
But just because Oklahoma City will have a six or seven day bye, that doesn't mean that Thunder fans will have no hoops to be invested in next week. On the contrary, OKC's first round opponent will be decided by the results of the play-in tournament. And because the #8 seed is not determined until the final play-in game, Thunder fans will have a rooting interest in all three contests.
While there is a slight chance that the Minnesota Timberwolves could fall to the Play-In Tournament, that extreme unlikelihood will be ignored in this RoundTable entry. The field of four is almost certainly set with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors. Each team presents their own challenges for OKC to overcome and weaknesses for OKC to exploit.
So let's break down the four teams that have a chance to be Oklahoma City's first round opponent.
Phoenix Suns. Arguably the biggest surprise team in the Western Conference this season. Devin Booker is back to being the team's undisputed alpha. Dillon Brooks has brought a toughness that the team sorely lacked. That duo is surrounded by a load of high quality 3 point shooters and role players.
Los Angeles Clippers. Kawhi Leonard has played at an All-NBA level this season. Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin may be a step down from James Harden and Ivica Zubac, but that duo provides enough scoring around their aging superstar to be competitive any single night.
Portland Trail Blazers. While they may be the least heralded team in the West play-in field, the Blazers are filled with young talent and peaking at the right time. The roster is filled with high effort players who go hard on defense. Deni Avdija is one of the league's top scorers, Jrue Holiday is a proven champion as the lead guard and team vet, Donovan Clingan is a mountain in the middle, Toumani Camara is one of the NBA's best young defenders and Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe are still just scratching the surface of their abilities.
Golden State Warriors. Though they would have to win two straight road games in the play-in tournament, the Warriors are the biggest wildcard in the field. Steph Curry is back healthy and still the scariest player in the play-in. Kristaps Porzingis looks to be healthy. Draymond Green ups his game in the postseason. Don't count them out of the playoffs despite being the #10 seed.