Thunder Make Quick Work of Grizzlies, Move On With a Sweep
You know that old line about how the playoffs don't realy start until the underdog punches back? Well, the Memphis Grizzlies never even got their gloves on. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into this first-round series like they had somewhere better to be, and four games later, they're already chilling at home while Memphis tries to figure out what just hit them.
This entire thing lasted six days, featured a 51‑point beat‑down, a 29‑point blown lead, and ends with Ja Morant delivering a “we’d be tied 2‑2 if I’d stayed healthy” mic‑drop at exit interviews.
Early Statement Games in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City opened the series like a team that had spent all year stacking 68 wins and wanted the rest of the league to remember that number. Game 1? A downright rude 131‑80 demolition that landed as the fifth‑largest playoff margin ever and the biggest Game 1 win in league history. Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander barely broke a sweat with 15 points because Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren handled the heavy lifting while the Grizzlies bricked their first ten shots.
Game 2 was less historic but every bit as professional: a 118‑99 cruise where OKC jumped out 9‑0, never trailed, and SGA looked more like the MVP finalist we know, dropping 27 with five dimes. Memphis showed a pulse — Desmond Bane finally found the rim, Jaren Jackson Jr. remembered he was Defensive Player of the Year once — but the Thunder’s ball movement (26 assists) and paint dominance kept the Paycom Center crowd buzzing as their team stayed in full control from start to finish.
The Night Memphis Believed — Until They Didn’t
Game 3 in Memphis felt different at tip‑off. The FedEx Forum was rocking, Morant came out throwing lobs and mean mugs, and suddenly the Grizzlies were up 29 like it was 2022 again. Morant had 15 and five in just 16 minutes, looking every bit like a star who’d “figured out” the Thunder’s switching defense.
Then came the slip. A hard fall, a left‑hip contusion, and Memphis’ engine was headed to the locker room for the night. From that moment, the Grizzlies' offense produced 31 second‑half points, the building got quieter than a library on Sunday, and the Thunder ripped off the second‑largest comeback of the play‑by‑play era — stealing a 114‑108 win. It was ruthless: SGA living in the mid‑range, Jalen Williams flying in for put‑backs, and Holmgren swatting everything inside eight feet. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, looked like a band trying to finish the concert after the lead singer’s mic cut out.
Closing Time
The next morning, Memphis ruled Morant out for Game 4, turning what could’ve been a do‑or‑die spectacle into a classic “everybody eats” showcase for OKC. Credit the Grizzlies — they scratched and clawed, riding a career‑matching 30‑point night from two‑way spark plug Scotty Pippen Jr. plus 23 apiece from Bane and Santi Aldama. They even had the rock down two with eight seconds left.
But great teams have a closer, and the Thunder’s closer was overdue. SGA finally detonated, hanging 38 on 13‑for‑24 shooting and burying a cold‑blooded step‑back inside the final minute. OKC shot an ugly 7‑of‑35 from deep, yet still won because they forced 21 turnovers and flipped them into 32 points. Mark Daigneault even won two replay challenges because apparently everything went Thunder blue this week.
The Big “What If?”
Would the series really be 2‑2 if Morant hadn’t taken that nasty fall and banged up his hip? Ja sure thinks so — he said it himself after Game 4, telling reporters, "I had them figured out," and claiming the series would be tied if not for the injury.
Maybe Memphis makes Game 3 stick, maybe they ride that adrenaline into another home win. But asking a team that finished 42‑40 to suddenly out‑gun a 68‑win juggernaut feels like begging the basketball gods for a rewrite.
The Grizzlies’ margins were razor‑thin all year; OKC’s were far from that. Even with Morant, Memphis spent Games 1 and 2 chasing shadows, and their bench graded out as one of the worst offensive second units in the playoffs. More likely? The Thunder still win in five or six, and we still have to hear Morant promise vengeance in 2026.
What We Learned About Oklahoma City
SGA’s slump didn’t last: After averaging just 21 on 38% in the first three, he uncorked 38 on 54% when it mattered. Those in‑between pull‑ups are back, and that’s a problem for whoever’s next.
Jalen Williams is a playoff grown‑up: 23 a night on 57/46/92 splits while guarding everyone from Bane to Jackson. He’s the connector that turns good possessions into daggers.
Holmgren’s rim protection travels: Nine blocks in four games and a 45% opponent FG inside six feet.
The depth is unfair: Aaron Wiggins drops 21 in Game 1, Isaiah Joe’s heat check swings Game 2, and Alex Caruso turns Game 3 with three steals in four minutes. Pick your poison.
Daigneault pushes the right buttons: Small‑ball with Holmgren at the five, then leaning on a jumbo lineup with Jaylin Williams when the Grizz doubled SGA.
Next up: either a Denver squad that just tied its series on an Aaron Gordon dunk at the buzzer, or a Clippers team that’s doing Clippers things. Either way, the Thunder have home‑court, fresher legs, and the look of a group that thinks it’s ahead of schedule and doesn’t care.
What Memphis Carries Into a Long Summer
This franchise’s to‑do list is about as long as a Beale Street barbecue line. Morant’s availability — 166 games missed in six seasons — is officially a storyline. Desmond Bane is locked in, Jackson is still elite defensively, and Aldama flashed enough to make his pending extension interesting.
But they still need shooting, another live‑body big, and maybe a new voice on the sideline after Taylor Jenkins was let go late in the year. Oh, and they’re flirting with the tax line before dealing with Pippen Jr.’s restricted free agency. Fun times.
No Shortcuts to 68‑Win Swagger
Sometimes a sweep can make a series seem closer than it really was. Not this one. The Thunder flat-out showed they were in a different league. They played like a team that’s been running it back at the park for years — moving the ball, locking things down on defense, and never panicking when the game got tight. Just a group that knew who they were and stayed true to it.
The Grizzlies gave it a shot. They scrapped, they had their moments, and yeah, they talked their talk. But at the end of the day, you can’t build anything real if your best guys can’t stay on the court. That’s the difference. OKC’s got a squad that’s locked in and getting better by the week. Memphis? They’re still stuck in what-ifs. For now, the Thunder are kicking back, four wins from the conference finals, and Ja Morant’s somewhere trying to get that hip right and plotting his next comeback story.