Thunder have plenty left to play for with 13 regular season games remaining

The Oklahoma City Thunder have maneuvered through the injury bug and still have a 57-12 record heading into Friday’s home date with the Charlotte Hornets.

Much like the 76ers, the Hornets are positioning themselves for the lottery while trying to stay somewhat competitive on the floor. It’s not a good look for the NBA, but this has been the situation for quite some time.

With 13 games left in the regular season, Oklahoma City has a tricky line to walk or at least it can be.

Resting players, and healing players, is a must, all while trying to keep the momentum in their favor.

Too much time off can hurt a team, and the upcoming gap between the end of the regular season and the first-round playoff game could do just that.

The Thunder can lock up the No. 1 seed in the West with a win over the Hornets. The Thunder currently owns the best record in the NBA, which means they would have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.

The next road trip for the Thunder could potentially be against two teams they meet in round one of the playoffs.

Oklahoma City will face the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, and play the Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday.

The team could try to play with a full roster if possible, but it would be ideal to see what the matchups would look like one last time before the pressure cranks up in the post-season.

In April, the Lakers come to Paycom Center for a pair of games, plus a matchup with the Suns in Phoenix, so there is still plenty left to play for in preparation for playoffs.

What is still in play for this season?

1. Top Seed in the West (guaranteed)
2. Best record in the NBA (battling with the Cleveland Cavaliers)
3. Best record in Thunder History (60 wins in the 2012-13 season)
4. Best record in Franchise History (64-18, 1995-95 while in Seattle)
5. 70-win season (low chance, the Thunder will be close)
6. SGA shines a few more times to lock down the MVP race
7. More playing time for Chet Holmgren after missing almost half the season
8. Another triple-double for Jaylin Williams (two so far this season)