Oklahoma City Thunder Clinch West Top Seed, Spurs Locked In

The Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the West’s No. 1 seed and the league’s best record with a 128-110 win over the Clippers, which also locked the San Antonio Spurs into No. 2. The rest of the West is unsettled: the Denver Nuggets sit third but are only 1.5 games clear of the Lakers and Rockets and still must play Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The Clippers and Trail Blazers are battling for the final playoff spot with one more regular season meeting on Friday. In the East the Knicks hold a tiebreaker on the Cavaliers while the play-in picture remains crowded from 5 through 9. Merlin sees homecourt shaping how this bracket unfolds. Denver’s thin cushion and brutal finish make their grip on third feel fragile. Lakers uncertainty with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves hurt could ripple through the bracket. The play-in promises chaos and a few late-season momentum swings before April 14.