The Oklahoma City Thunder made a statement win in game 1, putting out all of the doubts regarding their playoff readiness after a 51-point blowout victory in game 1 of the 2025 NBA playoffs first round, against a strong yet very underwhelming Memphis Grizzlies.
OKC Creates Playoff History After Crushing Grizzlies
The Thunder not only secured game 1, but they did so by completely thrashing the Grizzlies on both ends of the floor.
The 64-win team was dominant from tipoff until the final buzzer. Despite a not-so-good shooting from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC still managed to easily cruise past Memphis, 132-80. Their 51-point victory in game 1 became the fifth-largest in NBA playoff history and their best yet in franchise history.
The last time the league saw this kind of heavy beating was almost a decade ago. Back on April 30, 2015, the Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls toppled the Milwaukee Bucks by 54 points, 120-66.
OKC made a powerful entrance to the 2025 playoffs. Despite having a young core with some members of the team having little to no playoff experience, the Thunder is out there proving that their 64-18 record wasn’t just sheer luck.
Against the Grizzlies, they just showed everyone how to play team basketball and emphatic defense. All five starters provided double-digits in scoring, but it was the 6th man, Aaron Wiggins, who led the team in points with 21.
In addition, as a team, they shot an incredible 50% from the field, 35% from three, and 93% from the charity stripes, which is day and night compared to the Grizzlies’ awful 34-18-83 split. OKC also had twice as many assists as Memphis (36-18) and won the rebounding battle by a mile (54-43). However, their biggest weapon was how they forced the Grizz into committing 22 total turnovers.
Ja Morant finished the game with 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting, however, that’s subpar for a player of his caliber. Meanwhile, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Zach Edey, and Scotty Pippen Jr. all struggled to make baskets. Unexpectedly, Marvin Bagley III, out of all the reserves, chipped in with a 17-piece of his own.
Overall, it was an easy win for Oklahoma, probably their easiest this season. SGA isn’t even in his best form yet, plus Alex Caruso is still out. Their excellent offense and tenacious defense, matched with the Grizzlies’ lackluster, ultimately resulted in a catastrophic and historic beatdown, which will go down in the books.
