Sports briefs

Thunder advance

Steven Adams and the Oklahoma City Thunder secured their spot in the NBA postseason with a 115-93 against the Miami Heat yesterday. In clinching their playoffs spot with one game to spare, the Thunder will now look to earn home court advantage for the opening round when they host Memphis on tomorrow, with the fourth seed still within their reach. However, there was still the possibility they could finish in the seventh or eighth seed, which would see them square off against the No 1 seeded Houston Rockets or secondseeded Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs. Guard Russell Westbrook steered the team home with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists — giving himself a chance to average a triple-double for the entire season for the second straight year.