The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers 128-110, assuring them of the best record in the NBA.
Chet Holmgren had 30 points and 14 rebounds while league Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points and 11 assists for the reigning champions Thunder, who improved to 64-16 with two games left in the regular season.
Not only did Oklahoma City snag the Western Conference’s top seed for the third year running, their best overall record means they’ll have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
“It’s extremely important,” said Holmgren, who added five assists, two steals and four blocked shots. “Just knowing that in the event of a game seven it’s always going to be at home. We saw that in the playoffs last year twice, so it’s extremely important.
“It’s great to see that the hard work has paid off in one way, and now we’ve got more to do,” he added.
The Thunder’s win means the surging San Antonio Spurs are locked into the second seed in the West.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
