Standings Update: OKC Thunder Sit in Precarious Position
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With just a few games left on the 2022-23 slate, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit in a precarious position in the Western Conference.
Just two full games separate the conference's six and twelfth seeds. And with a 35-36 record, OKC currently sits smack dab in the middle of that swelling storm.
After a five-game slide coming out of the All-Star break, the Thunder have come alive with seven wins in their last nine tries on the back of All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For the first time in several young Thunder careers, the NBA Playoffs are within arms reach.
Oklahoma City currently holds the ninth seed title, just one full game back from the sixth-seeded Golden State Warriors and one full game ahead of the twelfth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans. The top ten teams in the West will be given the chance to compete in the postseason, with just six of those earning an automatic berth.
Suffice to say, there’s hundreds of ways this can shake out in the coming weeks. But with the team's recent stretch, there's reason to believe they could clinch a Play-In berth or, even better, the Playoffs.
Per Tankathon, Oklahoma City has the fifth-easiest strength of schedule remaining, with the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks as only notable Western team below them. Per fivethirtyeight’s Elo forecast, Oklahoma City has a 45 percent chance at making the playoffs this season.
Tonight, the Thunder take on the fifth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers at 9:30 p.m. in hopes of continuing to help their playoff positioning.
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