Thunder Tiebreakers: OKC Ties Season Series with Minnesota After Loss
After back-to-back losses against the league-worst Pistons and West-best Timberwolves, the Thunder have now slid to No. 3 in the Western Conference.
The team’s time at the top of the West was short-lived, which isn’t all that surprising given their age. But they’re nearing the end of an incredibly grueling January schedule.
The loss against the Pistons stung only due to circumstance: the Thunder riding a five-game win-streak and Detroit having just five wins on the season. But Monday’s loss against the Timberwolves came at a price that could have implications down the road.
With the 6-point defeat, OKC’s season series with Minnesota officially ended at 2-2, meaning any end-of-season tie breakers will now go to the team with the better division record.
Potentially even more important, the Thunder’s upcoming bout with Denver on Wednesday offers the same terms: win and OKC own the tiebreaker, lose and it moves to 2-2.
The good news? Oklahoma City already owns the best division record, sitting at 9-3 currently. In fact, after the 6-2 Timberwolves, all other teams are in the negative, with the Nuggets 2-4, Jazz 4-6 and Portland 1-7.
With near-half the season left to play, that’s of course subject to change, but OKC does have a decent leg up already. Winning the tiebreakers could mean the difference in surpassing both Denver and Minnesota in the standings in later months, which could yield home court advantage or an even easier route to the coveted NBA Finals.
Regardless, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co. likely aren’t worried about that just yet. And would probably just reference a 0-0 mentality and Wednesday’s 7 p.m. tipoff versus Denver, if asked.
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