OKC Thunder: Health to Play Big Factor in Play-In Berth

The Western Conference race for the play-in games has been heated among teams clawing their way in.

There's teams who are both underperforming and over-performing in the play-in hunt, and OKC fits the latter description for most.

The Thunder are currently on the outside looking in following a blowout loss to the Suns on Wednesday.

OKC is now one full game out of the final spot, tied with the Jazz and the Blazers. Currently, Pelicans and Lakers are tied for the ninth and 10th positions.

The five teams have bounced back and forth with each other since before the All-Star break, with the Lakers entering the mix as of late and climbing into contention.

The Thunder have had their fair share of run-ins with the teams around them in the standings, including three matchups with the Jazz in the last few weeks. The Thunder lead the series against the Jazz, winning the most recent two meetings.

OKC has the chance to tie the Lakers and Pelicans on Saturday when they face off with New Orleans. The Pelicans, though, have been a thorn in the side of OKC so far this season, winning all three matchups between the teams.

The Pelicans, like many of the teams in the fight, have dealt with key injuries, with Zion Williamson still recovering and potentially seeing a setback. The Lakers have been without Anthony Davis and Lebron James at times during the recent stretch due to different injuries and the Thunder have seen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams miss time in this key recent stretch.

The Thunder have matched up well with this area of the standings in the Western Conference, but will have to avoid going on long losing streaks like the five game skid they suffered out of the All-Star Break.

Though injuries will be key for all the teams involved in the stretch, OKC has shown they can hang around the play-in game when the team is clicking, but most importantly when they’re healthy.

With games winding down and chances to make moves in the standings dwindling with each buzzer, the Thunder could continue to push along their rebuild and climb the standings.

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