OKC Thunder’s Fight for Positioning in a Wild West Is Just Beginning

A crowded race out West

Oklahoma City begins a four-game West Coast trip in Portland on Tuesday, opening the front end of a back-to-back. The Thunder have won eight of their first 10 games despite injuries to key players.

They share the conference’s two-loss tier with the 10-2 Los Angeles Lakers and 9-2 San Antonio Spurs. Five other teams entered Tuesday’s games with three losses, leaving little separation in the early standings.

Standings remain unsettled

The Lakers and Spurs could stay in contention with Oklahoma City for the West’s best record. With so many teams close together, the playoff picture could change substantially over the coming weeks and months.

A single game can cause a major shift in the early race for the No. 1 seed. The Thunder’s strong results amid injuries are encouraging, but they do not settle how the conference will look later in the season.

Focus on staying afloat

The Thunder should not make the standings their main concern at this point, the article argues. The short-term goal is to keep competing through the coming weeks and make a stronger push when Chet Holmgren returns.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the team would ideally maintain an 80% winning rate, though injuries and the uncertainty of the NBA make that far from assured. Oklahoma City could be battling for playoff positioning through April.

A postseason chance remains

The Thunder’s eventual place in the standings is uncertain, but reaching the postseason would give their championship core an opportunity to make a run. The report describes that group as a two-time MVP and a championship core. For now, Oklahoma City’s challenge is to remain competitive in a deep Western Conference while waiting for its injured players to return.