NBA: Playoffs-Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder
One win in the first round of the playoffs is not going to change the minds of Oklahoma City’s doubters, but this game came as close to that as it could.
It was this kind of game: Oklahoma City was already in control and up 13 when it went on a 20-0 second quarter run.
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Or, it was this kind of game: Oklahoma City was up by 32 at the half, 68-36, and led by as many as 56 on a day their best player struggled. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander had a season-low 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting for the game.
Oklahoma City ran Memphis out of the Paycom Center in Game 1 of their series on Sunday — almost literally. The Thunder had a 27-5 fast break points advantage (and that undersells what really happened).
The final score of this thrashing was 131-80, giving Oklahoma City a 1-0 lead in the series, where the real question has become, can Memphis even win a game?
This game speaks more to how good the Thunder are than to the Grizzlies’ issues — Memphis is a 48-win team that had a +4.7 net rating, the sixth-best in the league. While the Grizzlies faded during the second half of the season (which is why they fired coach Taylor Jenkins), this was not some Eastern Conference team that fell into the postseason because everyone behind them was tanking harder. Memphis was good. Legitimately good.
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You would never have realized that Sunday.
The real difference in this game and between these teams lies in their defense. Oklahoma City’s defense just locked down Memphis, walling off their guards from getting into the paint, rotating sharply to any kick-out passes, and contesting everything, forcing the Grizzlies to resort to floaters from players they didn’t want to shoot that much (Zach Edey, for example). For the game, Memphis shot 34.4% overall and 17.6% from beyond the arc.
Only two Grizzlies scored in double digits. Ja Morant got to 17 points but on 6-of-17 shooting, and Marvin Bagley III — who was the best Grizzlies player of he day — also had 17.
Andrew Wiggins led the Thunder with 21 points off the bench, while Jalen Williams added 20 and Chet Holmgren 19.
Game 2 is in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
