San Antonio Spurs Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: When And Where To Watch Live; Preview

In a game that could very well determine who gets the top spot in the Western Conference playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs make the trip to Oklahoma City to battle the defending Western Conference champion Thunder tonight at 9:30 p.m., EDT, on TNT.

San Antonio (56-19) has won two of the first three match-ups against the Thunder (54-20) this season. The Spurs currently sit comfortably atop the Southwest Division while OKC has a four-game lead on the Denver Nuggets in the Northwest Division.

With only a handful of games remaining in the regular season and separated by only 1 1/2 games in the overall conference standings, both teams know how crucial this game when it comes to the top spot in the conference.

OKC enters the night winners in 7 of their last 10 outings, including a 109-99 victory their last time out against the Milwaukee Bucks. Kevin Durant, a serious candidate for league MVP and the NBA's leading scorer, poured in 30 points including a crucial 9 points late in the game that helped the Thunder escape with the victory. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook recorded his sixth career triple-double dropping 23 points to go along with 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

While Oklahoma City continues to roll, the San Antonio Spurs have been able to hold their Western Conference rivals off, at least for the time being. In their last outing, a 98-84 victory over the struggling Orlando Magic, Danny Green paved the way for San Antonio with 20 points, shooting 7 of 10 from the floor. With Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili inactive for the game, Green shouldered the load for the Spurs who only received 13 minutes of playing time from Tim Duncan.

Both the Spurs and Thunder have already locked up comfortable playoff seeds and are expected to make deep postseason runs. While it's nice to know you're in the playoffs, it's even more satisfying to be the top dog, knowing every team you face in the "second season" has to go through your building to advance.

Regardless of who comes away with the top spot in the west between the Spurs and Thunder, I'd say there's a pretty good chance one will represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals.

Check out the potential playoff preview tonight at 9:30 p.m., EDT, on TNT.