OKLAHOMA CITY — One of the most revealing sequences in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s near-historic 131-80 dismantling of the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 came just before halftime.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, enduring an uncharacteristically cold shooting afternoon on Easter Sunday, finally saw a 3-pointer drop with 2.6 seconds left in the second quarter. After a 1-for-9 start, including five straight misses from deep, he raised both arms to the rafters — a gesture that felt equal parts relief and release.
“It felt amazing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
The typically unflappable guard let his arms linger for a couple of seconds, as if savoring the breakthrough. The shot had pushed the Thunder’s lead to 30.
But even before the Grizzlies inbounded the ball, Gilgeous-Alexander had already crouched back into his defensive stance. His four teammates, spread across the frontcourt, locked in on the inbounder, ready to close the half with one last stand.
Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama inbounded to Desmond Bane, who had the unenviable task of shaking off defensive menace Alex Caruso. Bane pounded two dribbles to halfcourt and heaved a last-second prayer. A whistle followed. Caruso was called for a foul. With 0.4 seconds left, the Grizzlies appeared to be headed to the line for three easy points.
But Thunder coach Mark Daigneault immediately signaled for a challenge.
“With those,” Daigneault said, “I’m just trying to help the team in any way I can.”
The replay review not only cleared Caruso — it flipped the call entirely. Footage showed Grizzlies forward Marvin Bagley III had set an illegal screen. The foul was assessed to Bagley instead, the Thunder were awarded possession and the game clock was reset to 1.2 seconds.
On the ensuing inbound, Grizzlies star Ja Morant fouled Chet Holmgren. He calmly knocked down both free throws to push the Thunder’s lead to 32 at halftime.
It was a five-point swing in just 2.6 seconds. And in a 51-point blowout, it barely registered in the box score. But in the broader context, the sequence depicted something deeper — a portrait of a Thunder team that isn’t just young and talented but wired to compete on every possession, down to the final buzzer. As much as any defensive highlight from Game 1, and there were plenty, Daigneault’s defiant challenge captured the relentlessness that defines this team’s playoff mindset.
“We want to play the possessions and not the score,” Daigneault said.
After posting an NBA record +12.9 point differential over their league-best 68 regular-season wins, the Thunder have gained plenty of practice playing with a comfortable lead this season. Still, shock spread throughout the Paycom Center as the Thunder’s lead swelled.
Can you help us caption this? 😳 pic.twitter.com/yLjjRbsDKn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 20, 2025
Oklahoma City led by as many as 56 points. In the closing minutes, the Thunder threatened to break the record for the largest margin of victory in a playoff game. The 2009 Denver Nuggets and the 1956 Minneapolis Lakers won playoff contests by 58 points.
If there were any questions whether Oklahoma City’s dominant regular season would translate to the postseason, Game 1 could be considered the Thunder’s official notice to the rest of the playoff field. They’re loaded, lethal and locked in.
“A lot of that is understanding your opponent,” said Thunder guard Jalen Williams. “They just played, like, 36 hours (prior). So they’re coming in here — you kind of have to take a little bit of this win (knowing) they’re going to be way better in Game 2. So we’re trying to not give them a lot of life in regard to that. That’s a really good team over there. Game 2 is going to be completely different. So we’re kind of competing with ourselves in a way to make sure we’re sharp for Game 2 because we know what we’re going to get from them. That was the biggest goal in mind.”
The Thunder broke open the game with a 20-0 run midway through the second quarter. All it took was 4 1/2 minutes for the avalanche to be complete. Isaiah Hartenstein, who was sensational with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his Thunder playoff debut, capped the rally with a soft floater out of a give-and-go with Williams. The basket put the Thunder ahead 55-22 with 6:23 remaining.
“It all starts with getting stops,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “If we get stops and we’re able to play fast, play to our strengths, play in open space, that’s the key to it all. If you look at any of those runs, we stack multiple possessions of great defensive possessions. Then it allows us to be who we are offensively. So it’s no secret. That’s what it takes to have those stints in the game, and we know that. That’s our intention when we go out there, not just to have one good possession, two bad, one good. It’s, like, stack them up.”
From the opening tip, the Thunder’s swarming defense made everything difficult on the Grizzlies. Oklahoma City held Memphis to 34.4% shooting and forced 22 turnovers, which led to 22 Thunder points. OKC made Morant look ordinary with a 17-point performance on 6-for-17 shooting. The Thunder walled him off and turned him into a perimeter shooter and passer. With Lu Dort as his primary defender, three of Morant’s first four shot attempts came from 3-point range. Morant, a 31.6% career 3-point shooter, finished 1-for-6 from that distance Sunday. Memphis shot just 6-of-34 from 3-point range (17.6%).
Things were worse for Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson, who had a nightmarish Game 1: four points, 2-for-13 shooting, three rebounds, two assists and three turnovers.
On many possessions, Memphis had a difficult time simply getting a clean shot. Even their 7-foot-4 starting center, Zach Edey, got blocked three times at the rim, twice by Gilgeous-Alexander and once by Holmgren.
Defense on full display 😤
Take a look 🧵 pic.twitter.com/f1hKVxzuRd
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 20, 2025
“Defensively, we were very good,” Williams said. “Usually, when you can get stops, it opens up a lot of stuff.”
OKC outscored Memphis 27-5 in fast-break points, and during one second-quarter stretch, it felt like the Thunder’s defensive activity was generating transition scoring opportunities on every possession. One of the best plays came with 4:16 left in the second quarter, sparked by defense. Williams used his quick hands to get a steal at one end before leading a fast break that he punctuated with a one-handed, alley-oop dunk from Aaron Wiggins.
“I’ve never done that before,” he said. “So that was cool.”
But the way the Thunder cruised to victory in Game 1 was perhaps more significant than anything. They showed up and never let up. In the first 2:18 of the third quarter, the Thunder unleashed a 12-0 run, showing complete focus and commitment to finishing the job properly. As a reward, no Thunder starter needed to play in the fourth quarter.
They’d handed their business. Their message had been delivered to Memphis and the rest of the league.
“We played to our identity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Nothing more, nothing less than that. We were who we were all year in those minutes, and that’s going to be the key to our success, just staying true to who we are.”
(Photo of Alex Caruso: William Purnell / Getty Images)