Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander Struggle in Loss to Grizzlies

The Thunder fell to 7-9 on the season with a loss to Grizzlies Friday night.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fell to 7-9 on the season after a 119-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

The Thunder spent the first quarter penciling in milestones, like another Lu Dort drawn offensive foul and three blocks from Aleksej Pokusevski, but they didn’t do any lead building, as they trailed 21-8 midway through the first quarter.

In true Thunder fashion, they bounced back and finished the quarter down 33-28. They kept their momentum through the second quarter, but they trailed 63-59 at halftime. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to get his play going slowly through the second frame, despite the Grizzlies showing him a solid defensive gameplan. 

The Grizzlies continued to push their lead in the third quarter, which saw them outscore the Thunder by five points.

The Thunder won the fourth quarter for the majority of the quarter, but the Grizzlies, without Ja Morant, sealed the game before the Thunder could finish a comeback. Morant was assisted off the court with an injury in the final half of the last quarter.

The Thunder’s offense fell off their hot streak in this game, but they didn’t quit and played the game close until the end. With Gilgeous-Alexander virtually being taken out of this game, the Thunder’s offense couldn’t hang on.

Unfortunately, Pokusevski suffered a left ankle sprain, and he was unable to finish the game. The Thunder have now seen injuries to Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, Tre Mann and Isaiah Joe.

Gilgeous-Alexander was swarmed by the Grizzlies defense, and he saw the toughest game of his incredible season. He finished the game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists on 6-of-18 shooting. He knocked down two of his four 3-point attempts, too.

Josh Giddey had a slow start, but tacked on 20 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. He shot 10-of-20 in the game.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins were both bright spots off the bench. Robinson-Earl scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and finished with a +/- of +15. Wiggins added 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

Jalen Williams got the start, and he hit two 3-pointers in the first frame. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He added seven assists, six rebounds and two steals, as well.

As a team, the Thunder shot 46.9% from the field and 32.4% on 3-pointers.

The Thunder’s next bit of action will come on November 21st in a home game against the New York Knicks with a chance to bounce back.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.