Updated Mar. 22 West playoff standings as Thunder dominate Hornets

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have clinched the first seed. Not surprising considering they've held a double-digit game lead in the standings for most of the season.

The Thunder blew out the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. It was pure domination between a title contender and a tanking squad. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander only needed three quarters to get to 30 points. Eight Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Less than a month remains in the 2024-25 regular season. Even though the Thunder aren't involved, plenty of heated races for seeding have ramped up as the margin for error gets thinner. Thunder Wire will conduct daily updates on the West's standings until the season ends:

What happened last night?​

Rockets 102, Heat 98: The Rockets won their ninth in a row. They've taken advantage of a soft schedule. Fred VanVleet led the way with 37 points. It doesn't take much to beat the Heat these days. They've been a disaster since they traded Jimmy Butler.

Timberwolves 134, Pelicans 93: The Timberwolves blew out the Pelicans. A cool story unfolded as Chris Finch started Joe Ingles so his son could see him play in person. Those types of coaching decisions that win you over a locker room.

Thunder 141, Hornets 106: The Thunder dominated the Hornets. Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and sat out the fourth quarter. Everybody active for OKC scored. Charlotte hopes to lose out to improve their lottery odds.

Mavericks 123, Pistons 117: Dallas' four-game losing streak was finally snapped. They picked up a much-needed win over the Pistons. Spencer Dinwiddie had 30 points and PJ Washington had 27 points. The Mavericks needed this to keep up in the play-in tournament race.

Suns 123, Cavaliers 112: Cleveland's four-game losing streak has been the talk of the NBA world. After being a historic team, this skid has caused a lot of panic about the Cavaliers. Kevin Durant served the upset win with 42 points. Phoenix remains in the play-in tournament race.

Trail Blazers 128, Nuggets 109: A 40-point fourth quarter helped the Trail Blazers upset the Nuggets. Deni Avdija had 36 points. Meanwhile, Denver remained without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray as they dealt with injuries. The reigning MVP missed this entire past week.

Clippers 128, Grizzlies 108: With the playoffs around the corner, the Clippers have played their best basketball. James Harden had 30 points and Kawhi Leonard had 23 points to lead LA to an impressive blowout win over the Grizzlies.

Mar. 22 playoff standings​

• 1. Oklahoma City Thunder 58-12 — GB
• 2. Houston Rockets 46-25 — 12.5 GB
• 3. Los Angeles Lakers 43-26 — 14.5 GB
• 4. Denver Nuggets 44-27 — 14.5 GB
• 5. Memphis Grizzlies 43-28 — 15.5 GB
• 6. Golden State Warriors 41-29 — 17 GB
• 7. LA Clippers 40-30 — 18 GB
• 8. Minnesota Timberwolves 41-31 — 18 GB
• 9. Sacramento Kings 35-34 — 22.5 GB
• 10. Phoenix Suns 34-37 — 24.5 GB
• 11. Dallas Mavericks 34-37 — 24.5 GB

Notable games today​

• Warriors vs. Hawks, 6 p.m. CT (NBA TV)
• Bucks vs. Kings 9 p.m. CT (NBA TV)
• Bulls vs. Lakers, 9:30 p.m. CT

Next 3 games for the Thunder​

• Sunday, Mar. 23 at Clippers
• Tuesday, Mar. 25 at Kings
• Thursday, Mar. 27 vs. Grizzlies

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Updated Mar. 22 West playoff standings as Thunder dominate Hornets

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