Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for ninth in the Western Conference. Their season winning percentage of .500 suggest that they would miss the playoffs with a record of 41-41. However, both Durant and Russell Westbrook missed time earlier in the season with injuries.
In games that both Durant and Westbrook have played, the Thunder have posted a record of 12-5, which is good for a .705 winning percentage. If the Thunder are able to maintain that pace over their remaining 42 games, they will finish with a record of 50-32.
Is that good enough to make the playoffs in the bloodbath that is the Western Conference?
Who Are They Chasing?
The Phoenix Suns are currently in eighth place with a record of 24-18. Their .571 winning percentage puts them on pace to win about 47 games, meaning the eighth seed could potentially be decided by a tiebreaker.
In the West, every game counts. For the Thunder and Suns, no games count more than their head-to-head meetings.
In their first matchup on Dec. 14, the Suns were playing without Goran Dragic, who was out with a lower back strain. The Thunder won easily 112-88, scoring 41 points in the opening quarter.
The second matchup between them serves as a good indicator at just how close and intense their fight for the playoffs might be. On New Year’s Eve, in one of the best games of the year, the Thunder outlasted the Suns 137-134 in overtime. Durant poured in 44 points in his first game back from a right ankle sprain.
Both of those wins were home games for the Thunder. The next two games between them will be in Phoenix (Feb 26 and Mar. 29). If the Suns are able to defend their home court and win both, then the tiebreaker would be which team is a division leader. If neither team leads their division, than it would be decided by who has a better record against the Western Conference, per NBA.com.
However, tiebreakers would only come into play if both teams ended with the exact same overall record. There is still half the season to play before that happens.
Regardless of whether tiebreakers come into play or not, the next two games between them will have serious playoff ramifications.
Spurs And Clippers
At 26-16 the San Antonio Spurs are currently sitting in seventh, while the Los Angeles Clippers are sixth with a record of 27-14.
Using their current records as a base, the Spurs would finish at 51-31 and the Clippers 54-28. Both teams are 7-3 in their last 10 and capable of moving up in the standings.
However, both teams are also capable of going through a rough stretch or untimely injury and falling out of the playoffs. The West is brutal.
Recent Play
After a seven game winning streak the Thunder have gone 6-4 in their last 10. The Suns have also gone 6-4 . The Suns’ best wins in that stretch are the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Thunder have beaten the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards and the aforementioned Suns.
OKC’s win over the Warriors gave us a glimpse of the way they are capable of playing and why Grantland’s Zach Lowe picked them to come out of the West back on Christmas Eve, well before they were in the playoff picture.
Serge Ibaka matched his career high in points with 27. Westbrook had — probably his best all-around performance ever — 17 points, 17 assists (career high) and 15 rebounds (tied career high). Durant was deadly efficient, scoring 36 points on 14-of-18 shooting.
Barring an unforeseen injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to force their way into the playoffs and bump either the Suns, Spurs or Clippers out, making them one of the most dangerous seventh or eighth seeded teams in NBA history.
Statistics per NBA.com.