OKC Thunder Declaw Memphis Grizzlies, Cruise to Blowout Home Victory

The Oklahoma City Thunder added another win to its resume, blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies with ease to kick-off a five-game home stand.

Still one game away from welcoming back star point guard Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies knew they had a tall order waiting for them in Oklahoma City Monday night. 

The Thunder and Grizzlies told two vastly different tales of an NBA season. One franchise was without one of its stars, while the other was basking in the added success it found through Chet Holmgren — one of its stars. In their 25th game, they faced off, both looking for a win to add to their left-side record column. 

And with home-court advantage on its side, Oklahoma City delivered a win to Paycom Center in blowout fashion, securing a 116-97 win over the Grizzlies to hand it them their 19th loss on the season. 

It was a top-heavy performance from the Thunder, who found a bulk of its offensive production from its starting unit. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 30 points, while Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey followed suit — combining for 33 and seven blocks, though none of the latter stat came from Giddey.

For the Grizzlies, Ziaire Williams led the way from the bench, scoring 19 points to pair with Desmond Bane's 17, but neither could do enough to push the struggling Grizzlies past the streaking Thunder.

Dec 18, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) dunks against Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (7) during the second quarter at Paycom Center / © Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

From the jump, Memphis looked like it had come to play, getting out to an early 6-0 lead behind Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jacob Gilyard 3-pointers, but a balanced attack from Jalen Williams, Lugeuntz Dort, Giddey and Holmgren equalized the score at 12 a piece, and from there, the Thunder gradually pulled away. 

Some back-and-forth ensued through the middle part of the first period, but a Gilgeous-Alexander midrange pull up helped Oklahoma City to take a 3-point lead with under two minutes to play, and the rest of the quarter went its way. 

The Thunder opened the second quarter with eight-point lead, and after fending off a brief offensive run led by Williams, it only continued to build on that. By the four-minute mark, Oklahoma City had all the momentum on its side as it raised its lead to double digits and never looked back. 

Chet Holmgren had himself a strong quarter, recording seven points, a pair of blocks and a highlight-reel play, spinning into the paint for a dunk to leave the Grizzlies looking for an answer. 

CHET HOLMGREN WITH THE SPIN MOVE AND DUNK 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pVylyszxut

— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) December 19, 2023

Oklahoma City took a 15-point lead to the locker room, and by the time the halfway point of the third quarter was reached, that was 20. And then it was 23. And when the clock hit triple zeroes on the penultimate quarter, it was almost 30.

Nothing much changed in the fourth quarter. By time the Grizzlies looked to make a dent in the Thunder's large lead, the damage had already been done. Oklahoma City reached 100 points before the Grizzlies even reached 70 and as the Thunder cruised to the finish line, Memphis limped, missing Ja Morant even more than before as it fell 116-97 on the road.

With the win, the Thunder improves to 17-8 and continues to hold the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference ahead of four more games at home on a five-game stand.

Next for the second youngest team in the NBA is a visit from the Los Angeles Clippers, who have been on a roll since figuring things out with James Harden. The two squads will face-off with standings on the line as both attempt to continue to find success.

Tipoff from Paycom Center is set for 7 p.m. CST Thursday.

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