That said, the Thunder should prefer the Clippers to move on to Round 2. Leonard and Harden are a scary duo to face, but OKC is equipped with the right perimeter defenders to slow them down. Zubac has had a career season, but Hartenstein is the perfect counterpart against him on the boards and inside the paint.

The OKC Thunder will face either the Denver Nuggets or the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

Oklahoma City completed a first-round sweep, but it still needs to find its outside shooting touch. On Saturday, the Thunder held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 to earn a 4-0 series win and advance to the second round.

Ja Morant’s confidence has never been in doubt, and following the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he made sure everyone knew he still believes things could have been very different if not for his injury.

The Memphis Grizzlies were the first team to be eliminated in the 2025 NBA Playoffs after the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder swept them. However, Grizzlies superstar guard Ja Morant is confident that had he not gotten hurt in Game 3 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series,