Oklahoma Kicks Off Playoff Bid With 51-Point Demolition of Memphis

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Yes, you read it right. It was a 51-point drubbing win for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Well-rested and with the much-needed home court advantage, the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised their way to a total domination of the Memphis Grizzlies, 131-80, during Game 1 of their NBA Western Conference best-of-seven first-round playoff series duel on April 21, 2025.

Unlike the Grizzlies where they had to suit up for two NBA Play-In eliminators just to clinch the West’s eighth seed, Oklahoma had all the time to stabilize their mental and physical conditioning with a full one-week rest.

That edge was evident as early as the first quarter after the Thunder put the clamps on Memphis, denying them any easy buckets off the pick-and-roll while reading the passing lanes with precision.

It was a surgical showcase for the no. 1 team in the West after holding the Grizzlies to one of their lowest-scoring first-half tallies in playoff history with 36 points combined.

The Thunder allowed 20 points in the first 12 minutes and stepped on the gas pedal defensively in the second when Memphis only produced 16 markers. Their pesky defensive schemes resulted to 22 turnovers for the Grizzlies which turned into 24 points off steals and back taps.

After the end of the lopsided decimation, Oklahoma dominated all stat-line departments after recording 12 steals, eight blocks, and 54 rebounds as a team.

Despite Ja Morant’s aggressiveness at the start of the third, Oklahoma’s collective artillery proved to be too much and was more than enough to wreck the Grizzlies in the second half.

The Thunder dropped their highest-scoring frame in the third with 44 points and extended the biggest lead of the ball game to as much as 56 points.

Embarrassed due to their flat outing, Memphis rested all of their starters when the final canto began and could only hope to escape the road trip with a win to equalize the series.

Andrew Wiggins led Oklahoma off-the-bench with 21 big points built from four drained three-pointers alongside four rebounds and two assists.

Jalen Williams, who is now back in optimum state after missing several NBA regular season games due to recurring injuries, backstopped Wiggins with 20 markers, six dimes, five boards, and three steals.

NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t act as Oklahoma’s walking bucket but made it up with his intangibles, tallying 15 points, five dimes, three boards, and two blocks.

On the other hand, it was a painful sight to see for the Memphis fans who flocked to Oklahoma after their squad only shot 32/93 (34%) from the field.

The Grizzlies were ice cold from downtown, 6/34, and only had 18 total assists as a team, a dismal performance from a franchise that averages 29 dimes per game during the regular season.

Oklahoma will seek to protect home court in Game 2 on April 23, 2025, and build a comfortable 2-0 lead on Memphis. Can the Grizzlies recover after a disappointing loss?