The Thunder came out of a rebuild with pressure to at least make the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference this season. That goal has already been accomplished.
Oklahoma City is going back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, with a star-studded young core headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
And after such a successful regular season, the Thunder aren't interested in simply showing up to the playoffs. They've proven they have a chance to make a deep run, and every win down the stretch could help as Mark Daigneault's team chases the No. 1 seed in the West.
Winning in the playoffs with a young core, particularly relative to other contenders, is difficult. It becomes easier with home-court advantage, which makes landing a top-two seed critical for Oklahoma City's hopes.
Here are the seeding scenarios for the Thunder over the final week of the regular season.
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Thunder playoff scenarios 2024
The Thunder are one of three teams in play for the No. 1 seed entering the final day of the regular season, the other two being the Nuggets and Timberwolves.
So, what has to happen for the Thunder to earn the No. 1 seed? It comes down to the last day.
A three-way tie would work in Oklahoma City's favor while Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Thunder hold the tiebreaker over the Nuggets.
Here are the scenarios that result in the Thunder winning the No. 1 seed:
- Thunder win and Nuggets win
- Thunder win and Timberwolves lose
- Thunder win and Nuggets, Timberwolves win
- Thunder, Nuggets and Timberwolves lose
Thunder standings 2024
The Thunder enter the final day of the season with the West's top seed by the aforementioned three-way tiebreaker.
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 1 | Thunder | 56-25 | — |
| 2 | Timberwolves | 56-25 | — |
| 3 | Nuggets | 56-25 | — |
| 4 | Clippers | 51-30 | 5 |
| 5 | Mavericks | 50-31 | 6 |
| 6 | Pelicans | 49-32 | 7 |
| 7 | Suns | 48-33 | 8 |
| 8 | Lakers | 46-35 | 10 |
| 9 | Kings | 45-36 | 11 |
| 10 | Warriors | 45-36 | 11 |
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Thunder remaining schedule
The Thunder have one game remaining in the 2023-24 regular season to decide their playoff seeding. Their home finale comes against the Mavericks, who are already locked into the West's No. 5 seed.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| April 14 | vs. Mavericks | 3:30 p.m. |
Thunder potential playoff opponents
Because the Thunder can still land anywhere between the No. 1 seed and the No. 3 seed in the West, they can face a wide range of opponents.
If the standings finished exactly as they are at the moment, Oklahoma City would host the No. 8 seed, which is determined through the NBA's Play-In Tournament.
