As the final moments wound down in a 135-86 win over the Dallas Mavericks, the still-standing Thunder fans celebrated a team that went from winning 24 games two seasons ago to having the best record in the Western Conference this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 15 points in one half of action, and the Thunder dominated a depleted Dallas squad on Sunday for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Oklahoma City finished with the same 57-25 record as the Denver Nuggets but owns the tiebreaker. The Thunder hadn’t finished as the top seed since the 2012-13 season and hadn’t been to the playoffs since the 2019-20 season.
The Thunder say they have climbed by focusing on daily improvement, and they’ll continue to do so.
“We all know what got us to this point,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Just doubling down on that and keeping our heads down and trusting the work. We got this far for a reason. Just don’t veer off of it.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he’s proud of a squad that began the season as the third-youngest team in the league.
“Nothing’s guaranteed in any year, so, to be a postseason team, to be a one seed — we don’t take that for granted at all,” he said. “We’re incredibly excited. And now it’s just a matter of letting it rip with that opportunity.”
Daigneault said now that the youth won’t matter going forward.
“We’re zero and zero when we wake up tomorrow morning for the playoffs,” Daigneault said. “So what we’ve accomplished to this point doesn’t impact that. But I do think we’ve built great habits. We’ve done it together. Again, I have a lot of confidence, but not because of our age … but because of how the guys have performed and the things they’ve built together.”
Aaron Wiggins scored 14 points and Chet Holmgren had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, who won their fifth straight to close the regular season.
The Thunder entered the day in a three-way tie with the Nuggets and Timberwolves for the best record in the Western Conference. It was the first time in NBA history that three teams entered the final day of the season tied for a conference lead. They were able to claim the top seed despite Gilgeous-Alexander missing six games late in the season with a bruised right thigh.
The Thunder will have to wait for the Play-In Tournament’s conclusion to learn their first-round opponent.
NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic and star guard Kyrie Irving were among the four starters the Mavericks rested. Doncic had a sore left ankle and Irving had a sore left hamstring. The Mavericks already had clinched the No. 5 seed and a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Brandon Williams scored 22 points and Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 15 for the Mavericks.
Oklahoma City ran out to an 11-0 lead as the Mavericks missed their first four shots. The Thunder led 39-22 at the end of the period.
Oklahoma City led 82-41 at halftime. The team set a season high for points in a half and fell one point short of a Thunder record for points in a half after missing a shot off the front iron at the buzzer. Oklahoma City shot 60.4% from the field before the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Holmgren sat at the start of the second half with the game under control. Oklahoma City hit the 100-point mark with 3:30 left in the third quarter and led 101-49 after a pair of free throws by Bismack Biyombo. Oklahoma City led 108-57 at the end of the third.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder captured the No. 1 seed, sending the defending champion Denver Nuggets to No. 2 and Minnesota Timberwolves to third place in the conference.The Phoenix Suns also lapped the New Orleans Pelicans to nab the final spot outside of the play-in tourney. Meanwhile in the East, the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers secured the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, pushing the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat into the play-in tournament.
The play-in tournament begins Tuesday and features the teams seeded seventh to 10th in each conference.
Western Conference play-in tournament
| Game | Date | Home | Away | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 16 | Pelicans | Lakers | 7:30 p.m. |
| Game 2 | April 16 | Kings | Warriors | 10 p.m. |
| Game 3 | April 19 | Loser of Game 1 | Winner of Game 2 | TBD |
In a preview of Tuesday’s matchup, the Lakers blew out the Pelicans in New Orleans on Sunday to maintain the eighth seed, while the team from the Big Easy lost the sixth seed due to the Suns’ clutch win over the Timberwolves. The Pelicans slipped in the last few weeks, dropping from the No. 5 seed. A win for either the Lakers or Pelicans would guarantee a first-round tilt against the Nuggets.
A postseason rematch from last campaign, the Kings host the Warriors in the do-or-die contest. Both squads had underwhelming seasons, as the Kings struggled to find consistent wing players beside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis one season removed from their first playoff berth since 2006. For Golden State, it marks its return to the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021.
Eastern Conference play-in tournament
| Game | Date | Home | Away | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 17 | 76ers | Heat | 7 p.m. |
| Game 2 | April 17 | Bulls | Hawks | 9:30 p.m. |
| Game 3 | April 19 | Loser of Game 1 | Winner of Game 2 | TBD |
The Philadelphia 76ers host the Miami Heat in the first play-in tournament contest. On the line will be a playoff matchup against the New York Knicks, while the loser will have one more chance to qualify for a postseason berth to face the Boston Celtics. Both teams have major stakes this campaign, with the Sixers trying to re-capture their form previous to reigning MVP Joel Embiid’s meniscus injury.The Heat are attempting another deep postseason run after making the Finals as a No. 8 seed last campaign.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks will face off in the lower-seeded matchup. Both squads made the play-in tournament last campaign, but only the Hawks were successful in making the postseason. Trae Young’s return from a finger injury might push Atlanta over the edge this time around.
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 TBD
- No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
- No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
There are some mouthwatering first-round matchups out West. Entering the day, the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets were tied for the top seed. The Thunder came out on top with a blowout win over the Mavs, while the Suns pushed the T-Wolves down to the third seed in a taster of the team’s postseason series. The first pairing of teams that were confirmed to face off are two well-known foes: the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. Both franchises went on scorching runs this campaign, setting up an exciting rematch of their opening-round series in 2020 and 2021, both of which the Clippers won.
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 TBD
- No. 2 New York Knicksvs. No. 7 TBD
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
- No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
The Boston Celtics have been locked into the No. 1 slot for weeks and will host the last team standing from the play-in round. The Knicks leapfrogged the Bucks for the second seed, pushing Milwaukee into a battle against its budding rivals: the Pacers. Another feel-good story this campaign, the Magic, clinched their first postseason berth since 2020 with a first-round battle upcoming against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder captured the No. 1 seed, sending the defending champion Denver Nuggets to No. 2 and Minnesota Timberwolves to third place in the conference.The Phoenix Suns also lapped the New Orleans Pelicans to nab the final spot outside of the play-in tourney. Meanwhile in the East, the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers secured the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, pushing the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat into the play-in tournament.
The play-in tournament begins Tuesday and features the teams seeded seventh to 10th in each conference.
Western Conference play-in tournament
| Game | Date | Home | Away | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 16 | Pelicans | Lakers | 7:30 p.m. |
| Game 2 | April 16 | Kings | Warriors | 10 p.m. |
| Game 3 | April 19 | Loser of Game 1 | Winner of Game 2 | TBD |
In a preview of Tuesday’s matchup, the Lakers blew out the Pelicans in New Orleans on Sunday to maintain the eighth seed, while the team from the Big Easy lost the sixth seed due to the Suns’ clutch win over the Timberwolves. The Pelicans slipped in the last few weeks, dropping from the No. 5 seed. A win for either the Lakers or Pelicans would guarantee a first-round tilt against the Nuggets.
A postseason rematch from last campaign, the Kings host the Warriors in the do-or-die contest. Both squads had underwhelming seasons, as the Kings struggled to find consistent wing players beside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis one season removed from their first playoff berth since 2006. For Golden State, it marks its return to the play-in tournament for the first time since 2021.
Eastern Conference play-in tournament
| Game | Date | Home | Away | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | April 17 | 76ers | Heat | 7 p.m. |
| Game 2 | April 17 | Bulls | Hawks | 9:30 p.m. |
| Game 3 | April 19 | Loser of Game 1 | Winner of Game 2 | TBD |
The Philadelphia 76ers host the Miami Heat in the first play-in tournament contest. On the line will be a playoff matchup against the New York Knicks, while the loser will have one more chance to qualify for a postseason berth to face the Boston Celtics. Both teams have major stakes this campaign, with the Sixers trying to re-capture their form previous to reigning MVP Joel Embiid’s meniscus injury.The Heat are attempting another deep postseason run after making the Finals as a No. 8 seed last campaign.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks will face off in the lower-seeded matchup. Both squads made the play-in tournament last campaign, but only the Hawks were successful in making the postseason. Trae Young’s return from a finger injury might push Atlanta over the edge this time around.
Western Conference
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 TBD
- No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 TBD
- No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns
- No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks
There are some mouthwatering first-round matchups out West. Entering the day, the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Nuggets were tied for the top seed. The Thunder came out on top with a blowout win over the Mavs, while the Suns pushed the T-Wolves down to the third seed in a taster of the team’s postseason series. The first pairing of teams that were confirmed to face off are two well-known foes: the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. Both franchises went on scorching runs this campaign, setting up an exciting rematch of their opening-round series in 2020 and 2021, both of which the Clippers won.
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 TBD
- No. 2 New York Knicksvs. No. 7 TBD
- No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
- No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 5 Orlando Magic
