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OKLAHOMA CITY — Poking the ball out of Scotty Pippen Jr.'s possession before he even crossed halfcourt, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an easy transition dunk. That was enough for Taylor Jenkins to call one final timeout to wave the white flag. In a sudden shift, OKC went from an upset alert to another blowout.
The Oklahoma City Thunder surprisingly enjoyed a 125-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Like taking a video game seriously, the former toyed with the latter until closing time sealed the result.
Both squads took turns with the lead in the first half. The lead tracker resembled a hospital heart monitor with all the up-and-down waves. The Grizzlies held a slight 33-32 advantage after the first quarter. The Thunder punched back with 31 points in the second frame to enter halftime with a 63-59 advantage.
Coming out of the break, the Thunder looked sharper with eight quick points. Isaiah Hartenstein threw a baseline bounce pass to Chet Holmgren for the easy dunk to give OKC a 71-59 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter. That forced the Grizzlies to call a savvy timeout as the scoreboard was getting one-sided.
They made good with the stop. The Grizzlies answered with a 12-3 run to get right back into it. From then, it was a tight contest as the Thunder scored 28 points in the frame. They entered the fourth quarter with a small 91-89 lead. Memphis' outside shooting kept it in it.
After the Grizzlies retook the lead for the first time in forever when Jaren Jackson Jr. made a 3-pointer, it felt like this game would come down to the final seconds. It'd be a change of pace from the first three meetings between these squads where it was pure Thunder domination.
Nope. That thought quickly died. Trailing 99-97 with a little under eight minutes left, the Thunder scored 17 consecutive points over the next three minutes. The game-sealing run started with Hartenstein's second-chance tip-in and ended with him at the free-throw line.
Just like that, the Thunder grew back to a 114-99 lead over the Grizzlies with four minutes left. Memphis was in shell shock as multiple timeouts couldn't snap it out of OKC's avalanche. A back-and-forth affair between two top playoff teams suddenly turned into another ho-hum blowout win.
It didn't take much more time afterward for the Grizzlies to call it quits. This was their best shot out of four tries to beat the Thunder and a fourth-quarter collapse turned what should've been at the very least a moral victory into laughter that further solidified the sea-sized gap between the two contenders.
The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 13-of-31 (41.9%) from 3. They shot 24-of-28 on free throws. They had 28 assists on 44 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 37 points. Jalen Williams had 20 points in his return. Hartenstein tallied an 18-point double-double. Cason Wallace scored 20 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 41% from the field and went 16-of-42 (38.1%) from 3. They shot 22-of-23 on free throws. They had 28 assists on 33 baskets. Four Grizzlies players scored double-digit points as Ja Morant was out.
Jackson Jr. had 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting, four assists and two rebounds. Pippen Jr. finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Jaylen Wells had 13 points and five rebounds. Santi Aldama totaled 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
It took a little longer than usual, but a 34-15 fourth-quarter scoring advantage showed how easily the Thunder can overwhelm their opponents in an instant after sleepwalking through most of the game. That makes them such a dangerous threat to win a championship this season.
These last two weeks in the regular season ultimately don't mean anything since the Thunder already clinched the first seed, but to drown a possible second-round playoff opponent on the scoreboard with tenacious defense and soul-crushing outside shots is the type of experience worth running out their top players instead of playing it safe and bubble wrapping them until the postseason.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
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Backtracking to the perimeter, a gigantic Zach Edey in a defensive position must've been like a shark seeing blood in the water for Gilgeous-Alexander. He toyed with the 7-foot-4 rookie for a little bit. Finally ready to get an easy bucket, he went underneath and created enough separation to hit the fadeaway baseline jumper that flirted hitting the top of the backboard.
The trick shot highlighted another masterclass performance by the MVP favorite. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 37 points on 15-of-25 shooting, six assists and three rebounds. He shot 0-of-2 from 3 and went 7-of-9 on free throws. He also had three steals.
To start things off, Gilgeous-Alexander went right at Jackson Jr. on the Thunder's first bucket. He bumped off the former DPOY winner and scored on the easy layup. He was in a groove the rest of the way. The drive-heavy scorer had no problem destroying Memphis' interior defense with plenty of visits to a packed paint.
Per usual, Gilgeous-Alexander got off to a hot start with 12 points in the first quarter. He already had 31 points after three quarters. When he checked back in, the game was tied at 99 points apiece with seven minutes left. Surely that meant Superman time for the MVP candidate. Nope. Instead, he played facilitator as his teammates took over.
Gilgeous-Alexander was happy to serve the dagger with the steal-and-scored that forced the Grizzlies to clear their bench, but he picked and chose his spots to score. A luxury most MVP winners don't have as the Thunder have figured out how to dominate the minutes with him off the floor.
Jalen Williams: B-plus
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Trying for the alley-oop, Williams missed his target in Hartenstein. After creating the steal, he grazed the out-of-bounds marker for another avoidable turnover and erased a fastbreak chance. It took him a bit to get going, but the 23-year-old got back into shape by the end of the contest after a seven-game absence.
Williams finished with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and four assists. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws.
The best way to knock off rust is to attack the basket. You'll either draw a foul or get an easy look around the rim. That's especially the case with Williams. He was rewarded for his efforts with a busy night at the charity stripe. That's been an inconsistent variable all season he's tried to master.
Williams was the first snowball that rolled in the Thunder's fourth-quarter avalanche. He drove to the basket for a circus finish and swished in a catch-and-shoot look in the opening minute of the frame to give some breathing room.
The Thunder survived in Williams' absence from a hip strain with seven straight wins but it's obvious just by watching how much better they look when their second All-Star is on the floor. He helps Gilgeous-Alexander limit double-teams and carries the second-unit lineups.
Isaiah Hartenstein: A
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After getting fouled by Jackson Jr. near the rim, Hartenstein awkwardly landed on his leg. The OKC crowd collectively felt its heart drop to its stomach. The seven-footer was in some agony before he quickly finished the game without any trouble.
Phew. Disaster avoided. Williams even mocked him for his reaction when he was fine. Hartenstein finished with 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 11 rebounds and four assists. He shot 8-of-8 on free throws and 0-of-1 from 3. He also had two blocks and two steals.
While several other Thunder players are ahead of him with name recognition, there's no underselling Hartenstein's importance to their squad. He's had a career season and has produced at a rate that OKC likely didn't even dream to envision when it signed him in the offseason.
Hartenstein showed that in this game. He completely shut off Jackson Jr. and was a physical menace inside the paint. Throw in his skillful playmaking, he's the perfect high-end starter for a title contender. The Thunder need him to be successful in the playoffs and this game was a cautious warning of how swiftly that can be ruined with one bad landing.
Lu Dort: B
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After another snoozer, the Thunder's postgame interview morphed into Dort's DPOY campaign. His coaches and teammates utilized their platform to push for his case to win the prestigious award and it's tough to argue otherwise after what he did against the Grizzlies.
Dort finished with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting, five assists and one rebound. He shot 3-of-7 from 3. He also had three steals.
A rainbow 3-pointer that almost hit Paycom's jumbo scoreboard was the unofficial end of this contest. The Grizzlies looked dispirited and played the final six minutes like a bunch of zombies ready to leave OKC and hopefully not play the Thunder again for the rest of the season.
But the highlight of his night was on the other end. He turned Desmond Bane into an afterthought. He was held to three points on 1-of-12 shooting. It was his worst game of the season. It's easy to see why Morant decided not to suit up against OKC again.
This isn't anything new for Dort. He's always taken the top assignments and has hunted them down like The Terminator. There's a reason why the Thunder have only given up a handful of 30-point scorers this season and rank at the top of most defensive stats. One of the best defenses ever deserves plenty of accolades and he should be the face of their campaign to bring home a DPOY winner.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder avalanche Grizzlies in 125-104 win
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