The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 on Sunday, the 51-point margin representing the largest Game One win in NBA playoff history.
The Thunder’s 51-point margin of victory in their Western Conference first-round opener was even more remarkable given that Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his statistically worst performance of the season – managing just 15 points, five assists and three rebounds.
But all of Oklahoma City’s starters scored in double figures with Jalen Williams providing 20 points along with six assists and Aaron Wiggins put up 21 points off the bench.
The win was the fifth largest ever in NBA playoff history and also a franchise record.
“We played to our identity,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the Thunder took a stranglehold on the contest with a 23-2 scoring run to open the second quarter.
“We were who we were all year in those minutes, and it’s going to be the key to our success – just be the true who we are.“
Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams both said the Thunder’s big scoring runs all started with defense.
“Usually if you can get stops it opens up a lot of stuff,” Williams said.
Having topped the West with the best record in the league in the regular season, OKC had time to get ready for the playoffs while the Grizzlies fought their way in via the play-in tournament.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant finished with 17 points as he and his teammates were suffocated by the Thunder defense led by Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Memphis scored just 36 points in the first half, and fared little better in the second.
“We’ll never play that bad again,” Morant vowed, promising the team could regroup in time for game two on Tuesday.
“If we win Tuesday, the series is one-one. This game won’t matter,” Morant said.
Celtics strike first
In Boston, Derrick White scored 30 points to fuel the Celtics in a 103-86 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Jayson Tatum added 17, finishing the game despite a frightening fall under the basket in the fourth quarter that left him nursing a sore right wrist.
Tatum rose for a dunk and crashed to the court after he was hit by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – who was assessed a flagrant foul upon review.
Celtics faithful at TD Garden were delighted to see him make his first three-pointer of the night soon after, but it was White who powered Boston’s offense with seven of their 16 three-pointers.
Jaylen Brown, back for the post-season after battling knee trouble, scored 16 points and Payton Pritchard added 19 off the bench for Boston, who trailed by one after a nip and tuck first half but pulled away relentlessly after the break.
“Just a good response there in the second half,” White said.
Paolo Banchero scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Magic. Franz Wagner added 23 points but no other Orlando player scored in double figures.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points and Ty Jerome added 16 of his 28 in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers finally put away the determined Heat.
Miami, who advanced from the play-in tournament on Friday, trailed by 16 in the second quarter, but kept chipping away and were down by just eight midway through the fourth quarter.
Jerome, in his first playoff game, caught fire, making six of his seven shots in the final period to help Cleveland pull away for good.
“The thing that makes us special – it can be anybody any night,” Mitchell said, but added that plenty of work remains.
“We didn’t accomplish anything,” Mitchell said. “We just took care of our first job at home.”
