Thunder Clinch No. 1 Seed in Meaningless Season Finale

Injury-plagued teams rest stars in regular season finale

Apr. 14, 2026 at 3:02pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting the abstract shapes and angles of a basketball game, using muted tones of navy, slate, and olive to convey the low-stakes nature of the regular season finale.With the playoffs on the horizon, the Thunder rested their stars to preserve their health and No. 1 seed.Oklahoma City Today

With the Oklahoma City Thunder having already clinched the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, Saturday's regular season finale against the Denver Nuggets was essentially meaningless. Both teams sat out their star players due to a lengthy injury report, making the game a low-stakes affair between the backups of the two squads.

Why it matters

The Thunder's priority was securing the No. 1 seed to ensure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, which they accomplished prior to this game. Resting key players was the prudent move to avoid further injuries ahead of the postseason push.

The details

The Thunder and Nuggets both held out their star players, including Thunder All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, as well as Nuggets standouts Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. With the top seed locked up, the Thunder had no incentive to risk injury to their starters in the meaningless regular season finale.

  • The Oklahoma City Thunder had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference prior to this game.

The players

Kevin Durant

All-Star forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Russell Westbrook

All-Star guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nikola Jokić

All-Star center for the Denver Nuggets.

Jamal Murray

All-Star guard for the Denver Nuggets.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What’s next

The Oklahoma City Thunder will now prepare for the start of the NBA playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The takeaway

With the top seed secured, the Thunder prioritized rest and recovery over competitive intensity in their regular season finale, a prudent move to keep their stars healthy for the playoffs.