Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder, atop the Western Conference, are set to push for a 2-0 advantage in their first-round playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies this Wednesday.

In Sunday’s series opener, the Thunder dominated at home, overwhelming the Grizzlies with a 131-80 rout at PayCom Center.

Having secured the West’s top seed for the second consecutive year, the Thunder are viewed as strong contenders for a deep playoff run, hoping to surpass last season’s second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Under coach Mark Daigneault, the Thunder entered their playoff matchup with the Grizzlies intent on making a bold statement. They delivered in spectacular fashion, showcasing brilliance on both offense and defense.

From the opening tip, Oklahoma City surged ahead, building a commanding 32-point lead by halftime. They continued their dominance in the second half, limiting Memphis to just 44 points.

Remarkably, this performance came despite a quieter night from star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting. Instead, Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren stepped up, combining for 60 points.

The victory marked the Thunder’s ninth consecutive win in this matchup, and after last weekend’s historic Game One blowout—the largest in NBA playoff history—a tenth straight win seems plausible.

The Grizzlies, who finished eighth in the West last season, earned their playoff spot through the Play-In Tournament. They fell to the Golden State Warriors in the fight for the seventh seed before defeating the Dallas Mavericks to secure the eighth spot.

Facing their third game in just over five days, Tuomas Iisalo’s squad was at risk of being outmatched by a red-hot Thunder team, which benefited from a full week’s rest since their regular-season finale against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Grizzlies' 80-point total in Game One was their lowest in an NBA game since March 2018, when they were soundly defeated 140-79 by the Charlotte Hornets, despite being the second-highest scoring team the previous season.

In contrast to Desmond Bane, who had a terrible +/- score of -51, Marvin Bagley III is arguably the only Grizzlies player who can leave with a good profile after making all eight of his field goal attempts and scoring a team-best 17 points with Ja Morant.

As the Grizzlies try to avoid falling behind 2-0 before heading back to the FedExForum for two crucial games on Friday and Saturday, Iisalo will be hoping that most of his team's difficulties from the previous game were due to exhaustion.