Blowing out the Los Angeles Lakers this past week was a true statement win for the OKC Thunder.
With the added wrinkle of Luka Doncic's potential extended absence and Austin Reaves' sudden oblique injury, the outcome has seemingly had serious ramifications on the Western Conference postseason outlook.
After what has been an up-and-down season for the Lakers, it may be ending on a downward spiral, beginning with Thursday's contest.
Without Luka and Reaves, Los Angeles' title hopes appear to be vanishing before their very eyes, essentially making the West a three-horse race between the Thunder, Spurs, and Nuggets.
This means that whoever fails to secure the Conference's top seed will face a heavyweight battle in the second round of the playoffs.
Assuming the Nuggets eventually overtake Los Angeles for the third seed before the season ends, they will likely face the two seed after they take care of business in the first round of the playoffs. Whether that is the Spurs or the Thunder, it would be a nearly immediate fist fight featuring two of the league's most potent teams.
Meanwhile, the one seed would presumably face either a Houston team dealing with chemistry issues, an inconsistent Timberwolves squad, or a hobbled Lakers unit.
Thunder's most important games may still lie directly ahead of them
These hypothetical, but extremely realistic scenarios, essentially turn the rest of Oklahoma City's regular-season schedule into must-win games.
San Antonio is only two games back of the top spot, and a Thunder collapse down the stretch could lead to a brutal road to a second-straight championship.
A title run from the second spot would likely involve inevitable dates with the Nuggets, Spurs, and whoever emerges from a talented Eastern Conference. This gauntlet would prove a nightmare for a team that has dealt with constant injuries throughout its roster.
The Spurs have made securing the first seed a chore for OKC. Their stellar play this season has put Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company in a position where they can't afford to be rested as often as coach Mark Daigneault may wish.
To make matters worse, OKC has the toughest schedule to end the year. Meanwhile, San Antonio has the ninth easiest.
With what's at stake, the Thunder's conclusion to the season will be anything but a walk in the park. Their decisions regarding rest and rotations will likely indicate how important securing the one seed will be to them.
Regardless, it is apparent that getting out of the Western Conference will prove to be a much tougher task than it was just a season ago.