OKC Thunder – Utah Jazz battle for fourth seed: 2 critical matchups

With a win tonight the OKC Thunder can overtake their opponent the Utah Jazz to claim the fourth seed. Two matchups will play a critical role in the contest.

Who would have thought six months ago that we would be talking about this OKC Thunder team being in the mix for the fourth seed in the West with less than 20 games left in the season? Thanks to the stellar play of the team, we are. Who knows, they could challenge for the third seed.

The team that stands in their way is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz had been on a five-game win streak prior to their most recent game, a loss to the Toronto Raptors at home. Four of those five wins were on the road where the team has played well of late.

It is a testament to how well the OKC Thunder has been playing that they have the chance to take the fourth seed off the Jazz with a win. The Jazz has gone 5-1 and yet the Thunder has kept pace, albeit hidden behind the Houston Rockets who were in the fifth seed for a long time.

The Thunder have only lost two games since the All-Star break. They have fallen to the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers which is no great shame. However, apart from those two losses the team has played with the spirit and aggression which has defined them since Thanksgiving.

The Thunder have a chance to solidify their position in the seedings, playing six teams outside the playoff seedings. They also face the Denver Nuggets twice and the Memphis Grizzlies once. By the start of April, the Thunder could have solidified their standing as the third seed in the West.

However, that is all after the matchup against the Jazz. Here are the key matchups for the game.