Updated Mar. 20 West playoff standings as Thunder's bench destroy Sixers

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have a strong hold on the first seed. That's been the case for most of the season, with a double-digit game lead in the standings. There's been little drama for most of the year on whether they'll repeat as the top seed.

The Thunder helped the Philadelphia 76ers' lottery odds with a 133-100 win on Wednesday. Sitting out several top players, Jaylin Williams led the way with his second career triple-double. He had 19 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists. Aaron Wiggins also contributed with an efficient 26 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?​

Pacers 135, Mavericks 131: The Mavericks continue to suffer in embarrassment. Leading 128-121 with one minute to go, Dallas let go of the rope in such an awful way that it borders on impressive. The Pacers scored 14 points in the final 59 seconds. Andrew Nembhard knocked down a 3-pointer for the late lead. PJ Washington's 26 points weren't enough. Just a flat-out comedic way to lose a game.

Rockets 116, Magic 108: The Rocket did just enough to deflate a late comeback attempt. They've won eight in a row albeit against weaker competition. Jalen Green had 26 points and Alperen Sengun logged a 22-point and 12-rebound double-double.

Pelicans 119, Timberwolves 115: At this juncture of the season, inexcusable losses like these sting a little bit more. The Timberwolves have little room for error to avoid the play-in tournament. They can't suffer a bad loss to one of the worst teams. Anthony Edwards and Zion Williamson each scored 29 points.

Thunder 133, Sixers 100: This game was over before it even started. The Sixers have racked up losses to improve their lottery odds. Funny enough, they're trying to keep their top-six protected pick away from the same Thunder squad that sat out several top players. Alas, Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins cruised OKC to an easy win.

Lakers 120, Nuggets 108: This game kinda bursts the theory that opposing teams throw their best punches against the Lakers. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray sat out again to recover from nagging injuries. Los Angeles took full advantage in a commanding win. Luka Doncic had 31 points and Austin Reaves had 22 points.

Suns 127, Bulls 121: The Suns' faint playoff hopes remain on life support. A pulse is there as a high-scoring win over the Bulls finally put them in the 10th spot after chasing it for weeks. Chicago attempted a late comeback but ran out of time. Devin Booker led the way with 41 points.

Trail Blazers 115, Grizzlies 99: The Grizzlies' offense couldn't get going. Desmond Bane had 20 points but they felt Ja Morant's absence on that end of the floor. Meanwhile, Den Avdija went off for 31 points to help the Trail Blazers play spoiler.

Kings 123, Cavaliers 119: The upset of the night. The Kings handed the Cavaliers their third straight loss. In doing so, they assisted the Thunder to snatch sole possession of the NBA's best record. That could matter in the NBA Finals. DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and hit some clutch buckets down the stretch.

Mar. 20 playoff standings​

• 1. Oklahoma City Thunder 57-12 — GB
• 2. Houston Rockets 45-25 — 12.5 GB
• 3. Los Angeles Lakers 43-25 — 13.5 GB
• 4. Denver Nuggets 44-26 — 12.5 GB
• 5. Memphis Grizzlies 43-27 — 14.5 GB
• 6. Golden State Warriors 40-29 — 17 GB
• 7. LA Clippers 39-30 — 18 GB
• 8. Minnesota Timberwolves 40-31 — 18 GB
• 9. Sacramento Kings 35-33 — 21.5 GB
• 10. Phoenix Suns 33-37 — 24.5 GB
• 11. Dallas Mavericks 33-37 — 24.5 GB

Notable games today​

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

Next 3 games for the Thunder​

• Friday, Mar. 21 vs. Hornets
• Sunday, Mar. 23 at Clippers
• Tuesday, Mar. 25 at Kings

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Updated Mar. 20 West playoff standings as Thunder bench destroy Sixers

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