OKLAHOMA CITY — Swishing in a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s outside shot previewed the type of night he’d enjoyed. Less than five minutes in, OKC already built a double-digit advantage as Memphis called a timeout.
The Oklahoma City Thunder collected a low-stress, relaxed 124-93 win over the depleted Memphis Grizzlies. The victory gives OKC extra space at the top of the Western Conference standings.
“You see games every night in the NBA where a team’s banged up or a team with a lesser record knocks off a team with a better record,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “I never take for granted when we give that kinda energy output and it was from the jump.”
The Thunder led wire-to-wire and by double-digits for most of the contest. Their largest lead was 38 points. After the first quarter, they held a 38-24 advantage. That ballooned in the second quarter with a 26-point frame and entered halftime holding a commanding 64-43 lead.
The third quarter was much of the same as OKC scored 38 points in the frame to enter the fourth quarter holding an overwhelming 34-point lead. By the end of three quarters, the Thunder already surpassed triple-digit points.
Overall, the Thunder shot 53% from the field and went 21-of-47 (44.7%) from 3. They dished out 36 assists on 49 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points. All 15 players played at least seven minutes in this one-sided affair.
“We moved it, played inside-out tonight,” Daigneault said about the offense. “We got great shots at the rim, some cuts, some transition, a lot of threes but a lot of quality threes.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 23 points in three quarters. Cason Wallace had 22 points off of the bench for the Thunder after he absorbed Jalen Williams’ minutes following an ankle sprain. Josh Giddey had a 16-point and 10-rebound double-double.
Meanwhile, the short-handed Grizzlies were limited to 41% shooting from the field and went 11-of-33 (33.3%) from 3. Only nine players for Memphis checked into the contest as it was limited to 68 points after three frames.
“That’s just how we play,” Lu Dort said on their defensive effort. “The intensity we got, like I said, we wasn’t really playing the scoreboard, we were just working on our stuff and playing how we play.”
GG Jackson scored 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting and six rebounds — with 12 points in the fourth quarter. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 16 points. Jake LaRavia had 13 points and four assists. Those were the only three Grizzlies players who had double-digit points.
While it might not be the most exciting win of the season, these types of performances are what separate the true contenders from the rest of the pack. The Grizzlies are amid a lost season as they’ve been ravaged by injuries, it would’ve been easy for OKC to rest on its laurels.
Instead, the Thunder didn’t enter the contest expecting an easy win and, in turn, were rewarded by resting their starters in the final frame with no threat of an upset by the short-handed Grizzlies.
“It’s important to not take a team lightly like that,” Giddey said. “Undermanned, they got guys over there fighting for contracts, fighting for minutes and that’s a dangerous team to play. I thought we did a good job at playing the game, not the opponent.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
It was light work for the MVP candidate. Gilgeous-Alexander toyed with the inexperienced Grizzlies in his time on the court with fancy footwork and patience.
In 27 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, six assists and two rebounds. He shot 5-of-7 from 3 and checked out for the final time in the final moments of the third quarter. He finished a plus-29.
The outside shot has been a quiet improvement for Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s rarely taken them over the last couple of seasons. This year is a different story as he’s shooting over 38% on 3.5 attempts. It’s opened more space for him on the floor and gives him an additional scoring weapon to his arsenal.
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t need to press the issue as the Thunder led by double-digit points for most of the contest. He was able to collect an easy 23 points before checking out.
The 25-year-old has done an excellent job this season at showing out against the worst teams in the league, thus affording him additional rest, which goes a long way in a grueling 82-game season.
He checked out before he had a chance to score 30 points. The next time that happens, he’ll make franchise history by owning the record for most 30-point outings in a season with 48 contests. Kevin Durant did this twice during his time with the Thunder.
Josh Giddey: A
After getting his first shot attempt blocked, it was easy to feel discouraged for Giddey. It could’ve been the start of a bad outing for the 21-year-old after a strong string of recent performances.
Instead, Giddey quickly moved on from the missed attempt and came back the next time around with a shoulder bump on LaRavia in transition for the physical and-one opportunity. He’d go on to have 11 points and four rebounds in the opening six minutes.
In 19 minutes, Giddey finished with 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals. He finished a plus-22. It’s now been a handful of games for the third-year player where he’s been a positive for OKC. The caveat of it being against the undermanned Grizzlies should be acknowledged, but it shouldn’t discredit all of the momentum he’s built recently.
The Thunder hope Giddey can continue to play this style for the rest of the season and hopefully, it can roll over to the playoffs too. If so, then weaknesses on OKC will be difficult to exploit.
“He especially was on the gas to start that game and it really amplifies his playmaking when he plays with that kinda force,” Daigneault said on Giddey’s start. “Now of all a sudden, he’s collapsing the defense and his vision and instincts can take over.”
Giddey added: “I just took what I had and what they gave me, and early on, it was at the rim and I was finding cuts and layups. But it’s not always going to be like that. Defenses are playing you in different ways.
“Just continuing to be active off the ball, cutting, kinda floating around that dunk area has been good lately. But also being a screener if a team puts a five on me and they’re not traditionally a good defender… It has been a different role I guess but it’s a credit to our team and how teams are defending us. We got so many weapons all throughout our roster.”
Cason Wallace: A-plus
With Jalen Williams only playing 10 minutes due to an ankle sprain, Wallace picked up most of the minutes of the starting forward and seamlessly played well with the starters.
In 27 minutes, Wallace had a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and four assists. He shot 4-of-6 from 3. With the game out of reach, he scored nine points in the final frame to add to their lopsided win.
The 20-year-old rookie has been an underrated contributor for the Thunder this season. He provides OKC with a great backup guard who can also fit in with the starters with ease. Against the Grizzlies, he had his best scoring outing of the season.
“He just has a maturity about him as a competitor,” Daigneault said about Wallace. “He competes every night. It’s gone under the radar because of all the other things going on with our team but this is a very young player that’s able to play 20 minutes a game almost — 18-20 minutes a game — at a pretty significant role guarding pretty significant opponents.”
Wallace will spend the upcoming offseason working on his ball-handling and develop more as a secondary playmaker. That’ll likely be the next step of his development process and help round him out as a complete player.
“It was great just being able to see what I’m doing well and what I need to work on this summer,” Wallace said. “Right now, I just gotta finish the year strong in my role and be the best in my role this year.”
Lu Dort: A
Dort joined in on the fun with a productive outing on both ends. He helped limit Memphis’ offense as it lacked a healthy top scorer. On the other end, he scored 14 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, which included four makes from outside.
In his 23 minutes of action, he was a plus-26. He also didn’t play in the fourth quarter as he enjoyed the additional rest provided via the lopsided score.
The 24-year-old has been a key starter for the Thunder for several years and has played a vital role in their defensive success this season. The fifth-year starter has shot 41% from 3 on nearly 3-point attempts this year. Dort and Wallace give OKC a great one-two defensive punch.
Dort mentioned he spent a lot of the past offseason watching film to eliminate bad shots from his diet. It’s paid dividends as he’s had the most efficient scoring season of his career.
“He’s been a huge part of why we’ve been as good as we are offensively,” Daigneault said about Dort. “He’s played a very, very tight role. He’s made great decisions with the shot drive reads, at the rim finishing. He’s really complemented our team out there and still stays aggressive in his role.”
