The OKC Thunder remains in third place following yet another close loss in clutch time. In their last 11 matches, six have been decided by four points or less. Or those the Thunder win/loss record is 2/4. Not exactly the way you want the needle pointing in close matches.
There are tangible elements of the Thunder identity which make them a top seeded team. Despite the loss to Houston, they remain firmly in third with a lead of 1.5 games over the Lakers who may be without LeBron James for an extended period after his groin injury during the Lakers shellacking of the Golden State Warriors.