San Antonio Spurs: Injuries causing playoff pain

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are consistently the most inconsistent team in the NBA this season. They can go from smashing the Warriors by 20 to having losses against the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings.

However, the quality of this team cannot be overlooked. Even without defensive ace Andre Roberson, the Thunder still have a star-studded team, which will cause problems for opponents.

Currently they sit half a game behind the Spurs with a 37-28 record. They face off against the Rockets twice and the Warriors one more time. They also play the Toronto Raptors and the Celtics, the two top teams in the East. These games are being counted as losses.

The only other games of concern are the two against the Spurs and one against the Portland Trail Blazers. However, two of these three are at home. Of their final 17 games, the Thunder travel for only seven of them, which is huge for them.

The Thunder should handle the New Orleans Pelicans without DeMarcus Cousins. They will also want to exact revenge against lowly ranked teams. They beat the Suns last time out and will want to smash the young Kings team.

This will give them a 12-5 record in theory, which would result in a 49-33 mark overall. Even if they lose seven games, the Spurs will slide behind the Thunder for seventh. This will see the San Antonio Spurs fighting with the Denver Nuggets for eighth.