PORTLAND, Ore. -- With four-fifths of the starting lineup gone, including All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, preseason prognostications did not have the Portland Trail Blazers going anywhere near the playoffs.

So there was plenty of satisfaction in their locker room Wednesday night at the Moda Center after a 120-115 win over the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a postseason berth for the Trail Blazers.

"I'm very excited about clinching the playoffs," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "It was a goal at the beginning of the season. I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far."

Al-Farouq Aminu scored 27 points as the Blazers (43-37) rolled to a big lead, then held on to claim their eighth straight triumph at home. CJ McCollum added 26 points and Allen Crabbe came off the bench for 16 points for the Blazers, 17-2 in their last 19 home dates.

Four Oklahoma City starters, including stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, sat out to get a rest.

Enes Kanter scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 20 rebounds for the Thunder (54-25), who have secured the No. 3 playoff position in the Western Conference. Dion Waiters scored 25 points and Anthony Morrow contributed 19 for OKC, which trailed by as many as 23 points late in the third quarter.

The Blazers shot .512 from the field, including 15-for-33 from 3-point range.

"We got hurt behind the 3-point line, especially in the first half," OKC coach Billy Donovan said. "We missed a bunch of free throws and had nine turnovers. But we just kept battling and fighting our way back. That was encouraging."

Portland jumped on OKC early, sinking 4 of 8 3-point shots in the first 4 1/2 minutes to take a 17-6 lead. Aminu had three of the treys and 11 quick points. The Thunder responded with a 12-4 run to close to within 21-18. The Blazers increased the margin to 33-26 heading into the second quarter, Aminu leading the way with 13 points.

OKC cut the difference to 36-32, but Portland used a 7-0 run to make it 43-32, then pushed the lead to 62-44 midway through the second quarter. The Blazers, led by Aminu with 17 points and McCollum with 15, settled for a halftime lead. Kanter had 17 points and 10 rebounds by intermission.

Portland hiked the lead to 84-61 midway through the third quarter and carried a 99-83 advantage into the final period.

Kanter led a surge that drew the Thunder to within 105-95 with 9:15 remaining. Portland used an 8-1 spurt to increase it to 113-96, but OKC wouldn't die, drawing to within 118-110. The Blazers managed only two points over the final 3:27, but the Thunder couldn't generate enough offense to come back.

"It's a great feeling," said Portland point guard Damian Lillard, who made only 2 of 13 shots but contributed 11 points and nine assists. "We put in our time. We believed in ourselves. We've played through the tough times. We didn't get too high off the good times, and here we are.

"We finally got our spot, and our work still isn't done. We still want to do more. We want to get into the playoffs and make some noise. We want to get that fifth spot and end up playing the Clippers. We like that matchup."

NOTES: Oklahoma City sat out starters F Kevin Durant, F Serge Ibaka, G Russell Westbrook and G Andre Robertson. The Thunder clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a win at Denver on Tuesday night. "After every game, we evaluate where guys are at physically, the time of year, minutes logged, those kind of things," OKC coach Billy Donovan said. "We're in a back-to-back situation. We all thought this was a good opportunity for those guys to get some rest." ... F Mo Harkless has averaged 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting .500 from the field since moving into the Trail Blazers' starting lineup nine games ago. "Mo is playing with good energy and, more than anything, a lot of confidence," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "He has a quick, jump and good length. Last summer, when I was banging with him in the post, I quickly learned he is deceivingly strong." ... Portland becomes the first team in NBA history to make the playoffs while returning two or fewer players who logged at least 1,000 minutes with the team the previous season (Damian Lillard, Chris Kaman).