The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a phenomenal season, clinching the North West Division after their victory on Wednesday against the Sixers. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers were blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks, allowing OKC to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference.
With home court advantage now secure, the Thunder look to redeem themselves after a tough second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs. Although they deal with some bad injury luck, as does every team, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having a career year and the Thunder have by far the best defense in the league.
TOP NEWS
OKC Thunder. Certified dawgs ???? ⚡ pic.twitter.com/tzirE6yPBi
— Ball Exclusives (@ballexclusives) December 24, 2024
RELATED: NBA fans react to Bronny James’ breakout performance
SGA has had one of the most impressive offensive seasons by a guard in recent memory and he’s doing so very efficiently. With a 57-12 record, no one in the West is even close to matching their win total.
They certainly aren’t a perfect team, especially in terms of three-point shooting, but they have the most dynamic offense in the league paired with the strongest defense. While seeding may mean nothing more than home-court advantage, it shows that this is an OKC team like we haven’t seen in years.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
