The NBA Playoffs typically breed physical, competitive and exciting basketball. Fans tune in more, stars shine brighter and one or two possessions make or break games.
At least, that’s what usually happens.
The Oklahoma City Thunder bucked that trend Sunday, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in what was the most lopsided Game 1 in NBA history.
OKC was led by Jalen Williams, who scored 20 points on 10-for-16 shooting and played lockdown defense, guarding Grizzlies from Ja Morant to Jaren Jackson Jr. Chet Holmgren chipped in with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with an emphatic block on Memphis center Zach Edey, who towers over most players in a league mostly complied of players who tower over the ordinary human.
Holmgren recovered well on the play after Morant fired a perfectly placed behind-the-back pass to Edey. As the 7-foot-4 Edey went up for the layup, Holmgren cut him off and sent his shot back.
“I thought he was really good,” OKC coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s still working his way back from a long layoff from injury.”
OKC’s pair of costars made up for a dismal performance by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored just 15 points on 4-13 shooting. It was an unusually unproductive performance for the likely MVP, who had scored at least 20 points in 69 consecutive games before Sunday.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort and Jaylin Williams all made their contributions on offense as well, but it was the OKC defense that set the tone.
From the opening tip, OKC seemed to have Memphis’ number. The Thunder forced 22 turnovers and often outworked the Grizzlies for loose balls. On the rare occasion Memphis got to the ball first and beat the Thunder defense, a rim protector would appear and swat the shot attempt. OKC had eight blocks as a team, with Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jaylin Williams each having two.
“We were amped up,” Daigneault said. “I give the guys a lot of credit for the week of practice we had… Our staff and two-way guys did a great job all week of getting us ready.”
Fans and pundits alike often place too heavy an emphasis on one-game results. In the modern NBA, shooting variance can have as large an impact on the outcome of a single game as anything.
In this case, one game may be all the audience needed to see to know how this series will go.
The Grizzlies, who played one of their worst games in weeks and scored 41 points below their season average of 121, will likely play better in Game 2. It’s unlikely that OKC finds itself flirting with a 60-point win again in this series, or the playoffs in general.
That said, it’s clear to all who watched who the better team is.
Edey has been a good rookie and Memphis has relied on him for quality minutes all season. Often, he’s delivered. But OKC is a bad matchup for him. The Thunder’s bigs are largely perimeter-oriented, which draws Edey away from the basket, where he is most effective as a defender. On offense, OKC is a bad matchup for most bigs due to its versatility and matchup flexibility.
Dort is a nightmare for an already hobbled Morant. Jackson, who is underwhelming as a rebounder most of the time, was firmly outshone by Holmgren and Hartenstein.
OKC’s dominance shouldn’t shock anyone. Winning 68 games in a loaded Western Conference is an impressive feat, and because of it, the Thunder get to play a Grizzlies team that is outmatched.
The instinct of most is to put a ton of stock into one game, and usually that comes back to bite you. But, if there is one game that has a real chance to be an outlier in that regard, it’s OKC’s game one thrashing.
“It’s nothing different than what we’ve been training ourselves for all year,” Holmgren said. “It’s a 48-minute game, so no matter what the circumstances are or who’s on the floor, we’ve just gotta stay locked in.”
