NBA schedule to close the season with 15 games on Sunday afternoon
During a year in which almost every playoff spot is undecided going into the final week of the season, the schedule will be closed out with a Sunday afternoon full of games.
All 30 teams will play on Sunday afternoon with tipoff times scheduled between 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, according to Shams Charania (11 a.m. to 2:30 pm. Central Time).
This will come following a Saturday afternoon in which there will be six games played during those same time slots, Charania tweeted.
The exact time of Oklahoma City’s final game has yet to be announced. The team will host the Los Angeles Clippers that afternoon.
As of Friday evening, the Clippers are the third seed in the Western Conference. They trail the Phoenix Suns by three games and hold a one-game lead over the Denver Nuggets.
By Sunday, the Suns will likely have locked up the No. 2 spot (unless they somehow fizzle out or manage to make headway on the Utah Jazz, two games ahead of them in the No. 1 seed), so the Clippers may be fighting to fend off the Denver Nuggets for the third seed.
If that is the case, expect Los Angeles to put its best foot forward against a tanking Thunder team. OKC’s front office will be hoping for one final loss to help the battle for NBA draft lottery odds.
The Clippers have games against the Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets and Houston Rockets before the Thunder matchup.
The Nuggets face the Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons before closing out the season against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Oklahoma City’s final three games will be against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the Utah Jazz on Friday and then the Clippers on Sunday.
The Thunder entered Monday with a 0.5-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves for the third-best lottery odds. OKC is 1.0 games below the Pistons, who have the second-best odds.
