Oklahoma City Thunder The Memphis Grizzlies almost put them on the wrong side of NBA history with a blown victory in Game 1 of the first round series Sunday afternoon.
The Thunder beat the Grizzlies, 131-80, with that 51-point margin shy of the worst playoff loss by any team NBA history.
That record is still in the New Orleans Hornets, which fell to the 121-63 Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2009 Western Conference. It was the worst playoff loss in league history.
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Oklahoma City Thunder Gird Rugentzdort, left, high five guard Shy Gilgus Alexander scored a three-point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second half. (Alonzo Adams-Immagn image)
Oklahoma City, meanwhile, had the fifth-largest winning margin by any team in playoff history, thanks to the incredible ball movement and shot selection, especially around the rim.
As a team, the Thunder shot 50.5% (99-50) and missed one free throw on 15 attempts.
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meanwhile, Grizzly It struggled with a shooting rate of 34.4%, including six-sixths from 3-point territory.
Memphis stars like Jaren Jackson Jr. (2 vs. 13), Ja Morant (6 vs. 17) and Desmond Bane (3 vs. 12) struggled with all the games. Morant was the only starter to mark double digit points.
Oklahoma City Thunder Center Isaiah Hertenstein heads to the basket in front of Zack Eday at the Memphis Grizzlies Center in the second quarter. (Alonzo Adams-Immagn image)
Oklahoma City, who won the No. 1 overall seed after owning a league-high 68-14 record during the regular season, played very well on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, they forced 22 turnovers compared to their own 15 for the game.
Finally, all the starters on both teams were resting as players in depth killed the clock to zero. Realistically, it could have been a worse loss for the Grizzlies as Oklahoma City only saw 19 points scored in the fourth quarter compared to Memphis’ 17.
Looking at more of the box’s scores, the main Thunder scorer actually came off the bench as Aaron Wiggins dropped 21 with 8/15 shooting on four three-pointers.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant will leave the court later in the match against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (Alonzo Adams-Immagn image)
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All Oklahoma City starters managed double-digit points, Jalen Williams led the 20 groups, with Chetholmglen taking 15 despite shooting only four-thirds off the field.
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