After fighting to enter the playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies were torn apart.
Draymond Green warned that the Oklahoma City Thunder were at a disadvantage after only finding an NBA playoff opponent in spare in a few days for the play-in tournament.
If anyone seemed to be inadequately prepared, it was the Memphis Grizzlies who qualified at play-in after losing to Golden State and then beating the Dallas Mavericks.
The OKC Thunders destroyed the Grizzlies 131-80, surged to a 68-36 lead at halftime, and never looked back.
The Oklahoma City Thunder was the dominant force in the Western Conference for the 2024-25 season.
And if the first game of their playoff series is anything, then we’re looking at a potential 4-0 series sweep.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant didn’t want that to happen and made an immediate vow at a postgame press conference.
Morant declared: “We will never do anything so bad again.”
He led the Grizzlies with 17 points and matched Marvin Bagley on the bench. None of Morant’s other Memphis starters reached double digits.
Morant shook concerns about the injuries he maintained against the Warriors, adding, “I felt good. I was available.”
The Grizzlies were very dominant and could have done it without MVP’s favorite, Shy Gilgus Alexander.
He played in just 23 minutes in the win, scoring only 15 of OKC’s 131 points.
Aaron Wiggins led with 21, Jalen Williams led with 20, and Chet Holmglen with 19.
SGA will advance the big game in the 2025 playoffs, but OKC will be in charge of cruise control against the Grizzlies in Game 1, which will be a huge shock if they don’t progress.