The Oklahoma City Thunder demolished the Memphis Grizzlies in a record-setting 131-80 rout Sunday in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
Here are five thoughts from the game:
Thunder rested, and it showed
Memphis spent the past week fighting for its season in the play-in tournament, while OKC spent that time resting.
It showed in the first quarter. OKC hustled on defense, swatting three shots. It attacked on offense and was rewarded with 10 free-throw attempts. All five of its starters scored.
It was a strong start by the Thunder, which jumped out to a 32-20 lead.
Home-court advantage is real for the Thunder
Jalen Williams delivered a two-handed slam before he hung on the rim.
When he finally landed, he was on top of the world. He roared at a packed Paycom Center crowd, and it yelled back at him as Memphis burned a timeout to stop the bleeding midway through the second quarter.
It didn’t help. OKC fed off of an electric home crowd, outscoring Memphis 36-16 in the quarter, and it rode that momentum to a win.
Memphis, and everyone else in the playoffs, will have to get used to playing inside Paycom Center. OKC has home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
OKC forced Memphis to go small, bench Zach Edey
In what marked his first playoff game, rookie center Zach Edey was tested early on.
On offense, OKC attacked the 7-foot-4 center in the pick and roll. On defense, the Thunder swarmed him with help defenders every time he touched the ball.
Edey only played 20 minutes as a result, and he finished with four points and nine rebounds. Memphis found more success with backup big man Marvin Bagley III, who scored 17 points in 16 minutes.
OKC made Memphis pay for its turnover-prone tendencies
Memphis ranked second in the NBA in points per game (121.7) during the regular season.
Still, it’s no secret what the Grizzlies’ biggest weakness is on offense. Ball control has been an issue, and that trend continued Sunday.
Memphis committed 24 turnovers, which OKC converted into 24 points.
Thunder remains dominant
They say the postseason is a clean slate, but OKC looked like its usual self Sunday.
After setting the record for the largest average win margin throughout a regular season in NBA history (12.9), the Thunder continued to dominate.
OKC beat Memphis by 51 points. It’s the fifth-largest victory by any team in playoff history and largest for a Game 1.
Aaron Wiggins scored a game-high 21 points off the bench. Chet Holmgren recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Williams added 20 points and six assists.
Game 2 is set for 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
TIPOFF: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Paycom Center (TNT, FanDuel Sports Network)
