Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Hoping to Secure Top Spot in the West in Season Finale

The Oklahoma City Thunder and rookie Chet Holmgren are set to compete in the last game of the season on Sunday with conference seeding implications on the line.

All season long, Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren has been a driving force behind the success and sheer improvement of Oklahoma City's drastic leap from a season ago to now.

He alters virtually every dynamic of the game for a team who did not have that rim-dettering, 7-foot-plus interior force last season, and it's shown vividly throughout the course of his rookie campaign.

As some questioned his durability and means of establishing physicality against the bigger forwards and centers around the league, Holmgren has thwarted that message of doubt greatly. Playing all 81 games thus far on the year and averaging 29.6 minutes through each of them, Holmgren's 16.6 points and 2.3 blocks a night have assisted the Thunder heavily in getting to where they are now in prime position in the Western Conference.

On Sunday afternoon, they'll have one more test with the No. 1 spot in the conference on the line. Against a Dallas Mavericks team that sits in the fifth seed, they'll rest all of their starters in preservation for the playoffs, making this a game for the Thunder to focus and not lose sight against the Mavericks' reserves.

With Oklahoma City, the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves all knotted at 56-25 at the top of the West, all the Thunder have to do on Sunday is defeat the Mavericks and they'll have clinched the top spot. More than likely, they'll be facing off against the Suns, Lakers or Pelicans following the impending games this afternoon.

WIth P.J. Washington, fellow rookie Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford all sidelined, Holmgren should be faced with a fairly heavy scoring opportunity on the day following a 22-point outing the game prior, as he'll look to cap off a stellar rookie season to send his team into the postseason.

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