Who Would OKC Thunder Play in Playoffs if Season Ended Today?

Despite being the No. 2 seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder could still have a difficult first-round playoff matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder still has 28 games left in the regular season before they know where they stand in the Western Conference standings. They've been on roughly a 56-win pace, and finishing in the second seed would be huge as the season winds down.

As tight as the Western Conference is, though, there is no guarantees with the season winding down. The top four seeds in the conference are all separated by just three games. 

If the season were to end right now, during the All-Star break, the No. 2 seeded Thunder would face either the No. 7 Dallas Mavericks or No. 8 Sacramento Kings. The two teams would play in the first Play-In Tournament matchup, with the winner of the first game earning the rights to the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. 

Over the past couple of seasons, the Kings have been a nightmare matchup. The Thunder defeated the Kings on Feb. 11, but before that, they hadn't won a matchup against them since 2021. The Kings had won eight straight matchups.

In a playoff series, the Kings would be a tough matchup. Last season, they got their first bit of playoff experience. The Thunder is bringing none of that into this postseason.

The Mavericks aren't an easy postseason matchup either. Luka Doncic has single-handedly willed his team to a series win multiple times, and Kyrie Irving is a proven big-time playoff performer when he's available. The two have incredible potential together that's yet to be unpacked.

Both teams are an example of how deep the Western Conference is. Even as a No. 2 seed, the Thunder isn't going to be handed an easy matchup. Both of those teams, despite their matchup, are capable of winning a playoff series as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.