OKC Thunder Grab Lottery Pick with Warriors’ Win over Clippers

The Thunder benefitted from Wednesday's West Play-In game.

Apr 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after a foul call in the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers during the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers faced off in Wednesday’s Play-In action, offering yet another down-to-the-wire game prior to the NBA Playoffs.

The Clippers led for much of the game, though the Warriors grinned back time and again, eventually taking the lead with under a minute to play for the first time since the second quarter. A go-ahead 3-pointer from Curry stepping-back over Brook Lopez would effectively seal the game, putting the Warriors up, 120-117. Back-to-back Warriors’ steals would end the game. 

Steph Curry.

16 points (and counting) in the third. pic.twitter.com/Sw8edfZ8d2

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) April 16, 2026

With the win, Golden State has now punched its ticket to the final Play-In game, facing off against the Phoenix Suns to see who will play OKC in the first round. The restul was fairly shocking, as the Warriors faltered down the stretch of the season, and the Clippers saw a mid-season turnaround.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, patiently awaiting that first-round matchup following the conclusion of the Western Conference Play-In, indirectly benefited from Wednesday’s result.

Via the Paul George for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade — the gift that keeps on giving — Oklahoma City owns the Clippers’ unprotected 2026 first-round pick, which is now officially locked in as a lottery pick following the team’s loss. There was a chance it would land outside with a few Clippers’ wins, though it’s now likely to land in the lottery, with around a 7% chance to convey in the top-four. 

The Thunder likely wanted good news on the draft front, after its other 2026 first-round pick via Philadelphia was locked into No. 17 or No. 18 earlier in the night, outside of the lottery with the 76ers' new Playoffs berth.

While the Clippers' pick is likely to remain in the late-lottery range, that should yield a great player for OKC, with the 2026 draft heralded as one of the best in some time. The top is made up of talents like Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson, which should push talented prospects down to the Thunder's range.

Players like Yaxel Lendeborg, Thomas Haugh, Bennett Stirtz, Allen Graves, and plenty more should be sitting around that range, offering prospects that can fill roles for OKC long-term as their money situation blossoms.

OKC will now wait for Friday's bout between Golden State and Phoenix to find out its first-round opponent. That matchup will tip off at 9 p.m. CT, and the turnaround for Game 1 of the first round will be 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, April 19 in Oklahoma City, OK.