Oklahoma City — The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1 of the first round Western Conference Playoff Series on Sunday, the fifth-largest winning margin in NBA postseason history.
A 51-point margin was seven points shy of the record, making it the biggest Game 1 victory in NBA playoff history.
Jalen Williams scored 20 points, while Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s scoring champion with nearly 33 points per game, scored just 15 points. The Thunder still shot 50.5% off the field.
“We played identity,” said Gilgaus Alexander. “There’s nothing more, nothing more. Who we were all year round… And it’s key to our success and just keeping faithful to who we are.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has said several times that he intended his teammates to prepare better for this postseason since Oklahoma City lost to Dallas in the Western Conference semi-finals last season.
So far, so good.
“I have a great group around me, and I know that,” Gilgaus Alexander said. “And I’ve known that for a long time. … They’re obviously amazing.”
NBA history had two 58-point playoff margins. Denver defeated New Orleans 121-63 in 2009, and Minneapolis Lakers defeated St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956.
Ja Morant scored 17 points for Memphis in a 17-6 shooting. Jaren Jackson Jr., who averaged over 22 points in the regular season, scored four points in a 13-2 shooting. The Grizzlies shot just 34.4% overall.
The Thunder, who finished the regular season with a league-leading 68-14 record, controlled it on a 20-0 run that took a 55-22 lead in the second quarter. They took a 35-point lead at halftime.
“After that, it felt like the energy wasn’t there. We were trying to talk to ourselves to get back into the game,” Morant said.
This was the first playoff game under Memphis interim coach Tuommas Isaro. He coached just nine NBA regular season contests before the play-in game.
“If you’re in a playoff series, that’s the seven best,” Isaro said. “It doesn’t matter if you win with a buzzer beater with one point or 50 points. You win once. Luckily, there’s only one way from now on. You’ll analyze and learn.
Game 2 is Tuesday, with Thunder coach Mark Daygoon looking for a closer game.
“They played 36 hours ago and were playing an emotional game, so they had to turn around and play at noon today, which is a very tough turn,” Daigneault said. “So they’ll get better on Tuesday. So I thought we did a good job, but I don’t think we can expect that from them (repeated).
