The Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder fought hard to earn separation in the standings on Thursday night and now both teams control their own destinies. Nate Robinson's 35 points on 10-18 shooting helped Chicago snap the Knicks' 13-game win streak and pull a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant's 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 30 minutes stifled the Warriors and pushed OKC a half-game in front of the Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the West.
NBA playoff standings: Bulls earn separation from Hawks, Thunder take lead over Spurs
Four playoff-bound teams played on Thursday night in the NBA. Here’s how the outcomes affected the playoff brackets in each conference.
USA TODAY Sports
With only a few games left on their schedules, if the Thunder and Bulls continue to win they will both finish the season in the spot they hold Friday. For Oklahoma City fans, the Warriors -- who are now just a half-game up on the Rockets for the No. 7 seed -- don't exactly present a scary option as a first-round opponent in comparison to the No. 8 Lakers. If OKC were to falter, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Dave Mirzaie of Thunder blog Welcome to Loud City explains:
The Thunder might face the Warriors in a potential first round match-up. This would probably be the most preferred match up for the Thunder out of the possibilities that still remain. David Lee could not defend Serge Ibaka, Klay Thompson was slowed down defensively, and Kevin Durant would've gotten a triple double had the game been any closer.
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will travel to ORACLE Arena to take on Golden State on Friday night. The Lakers currently hold a one-game lead over the Utah Jazz, who will host the Timberwolves on Friday night.
| Western | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | L10 | |
| 1 | x - Oklahoma City | 58 | 21 | .734 | - | Won 2 | 8-2 |
| 2 | y - San Antonio | 57 | 21 | .731 | ½ | Lost 1 | 5-5 |
| 3 | x - Denver | 54 | 24 | .692 | 3 ½ | Won 5 | 8-2 |
| 4 | y - LA Clippers | 52 | 26 | .667 | 5 ½ | Won 3 | 6-4 |
| 5 | x - Memphis | 53 | 25 | .679 | 4 ½ | Won 2 | 7-3 |
| 6 | x - Golden State | 45 | 34 | .570 | 13 | Lost 1 | 6-4 |
| 7 | x - Houston | 44 | 34 | .564 | 13 ½ | Won 1 | 7-3 |
| 8 | LA Lakers | 42 | 37 | .532 | 16 | Won 2 | 6-4 |
| Utah | 41 | 38 | .519 | 17 | Lost 1 | 7-3 | |
| Dallas | 38 | 40 | .487 | 19 ½ | Lost 1 | 6-4 | |
| Portland | 33 | 45 | .423 | 24 ½ | Lost 9 | 1-9 | |
| Minnesota | 29 | 49 | .372 | 28 ½ | Lost 2 | 5-5 | |
| Sacramento | 28 | 50 | .359 | 29 ½ | Won 1 | 4-6 | |
| New Orleans | 27 | 52 | .342 | 31 | Lost 2 | 4-6 | |
| Phoenix | 24 | 55 | .304 | 34 | Won 1 | 1-9 |
| Eastern | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | L10 | |
| 1 | z - Miami | 62 | 16 | .795 | - | Won 4 | 8-2 |
| 2 | y - New York | 51 | 27 | .654 | 11 | Lost 1 | 9-1 |
| 3 | y - Indiana | 49 | 29 | .628 | 13 | Won 1 | 7-3 |
| 4 | x - Brooklyn | 46 | 32 | .590 | 16 | Won 3 | 6-4 |
| 5 | x - Chicago | 43 | 35 | .551 | 19 | Won 1 | 6-4 |
| 6 | x - Atlanta | 43 | 36 | .544 | 19 ½ | Won 1 | 5-5 |
| 7 | x - Boston | 40 | 38 | .513 | 22 | Lost 1 | 4-6 |
| 8 | x - Milwaukee | 37 | 41 | .474 | 25 | Lost 2 | 3-7 |
| Philadelphia | 31 | 47 | .397 | 31 | Lost 3 | 5-5 | |
| Toronto | 30 | 48 | .385 | 32 | Won 1 | 4-6 | |
| Washington | 29 | 50 | .367 | 33 ½ | Lost 3 | 4-6 | |
| Detroit | 27 | 52 | .342 | 35 ½ | Won 2 | 4-6 | |
| Cleveland | 24 | 54 | .308 | 38 | Lost 2 | 2-8 | |
| Orlando | 20 | 59 | .253 | 42 ½ | Won 1 | 2-8 | |
| Charlotte | 18 | 60 | .231 | 44 | Lost 3 | 2-8 |
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