The Thunder came into this game against Memphis feeling good after the win against LA. Steven Adams and Mike Muscala were out tonight for this one with injuries that hurt OKC inside. Oklahoma City came out hitting almost everything as they knocked down seven 3 pointers in that first quarter. At one point in the game in the first half, OKC had been up by 18 points. One of the players that really stood out for the Thunder tonight was Luguentz Dort who was one of the leading scorers with 16 points. Lu was able to hit some big 3 pointers and showed a lot of confidence on both ends of the floor against the Grizzlies. OKC had to play some different lineups tonight but the energy wasn’t the same in that 2nd quarter. Shai struggled a little bit today but he’s been trying to carry the load for the absence of Schröder. People need to understand that Shai is a 2nd-year player and there’s still going to be ups and downs. Shai finished the game with 10 points. Look for Shai to bounce back because he’s stated numerous times he wants to be one of the greats. Chris Paul finished with 17 points and wasn’t really able to get things going in that 2nd half. One thing about CP3 is the fact he will always bounce back and he’s a true leader with professionalism. OKC didn’t play their best game today but they’re missing some key pieces that help them play at an elite level.

It seemed as if everything was going to go the Thunders way until the 2nd quarter. The Memphis Grizzlies came out in the second quarter and were able to hit the 3 balls consistently. One player that really took advantage of the minutes given to him in that 2nd quarter was Anthony Tolliver. He came in and made some energy plays and he was also able to hit some big shots. Memphis came out with a lot of energy overall as a team and they were able to out-hustle and outplay OKC as they fought back. It showed a lot of growth for the Memphis Grizzlies the fact that they trailed by 18 points and came back without Ja Morant. Morant was on the bench during the comeback and was able to come back in the game with Memphis up by 1 point. Morant was able to get a lot of help from Dillion Brooks who was able to get to the lane with ease and hit some tough shots. Brooks finished with 22 points on the night for Memphis and was taking it personally on the court tonight. The Grizzlies had a huge advantage on the rebounds as it was 36-58 and Jonas Valančiūnas helped in that department.  Valančiūnas finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds against OKC as the Thunder didn’t have Adams. Jonas was able to bully in the paint and got a lot of 2nd chance points. Ja Morant finished with 19 points and 9 assists on the night as he proved he’s definitely the ROTY in the NBA. Ja was able to create for others and he was able to create offense for himself as well. Once Ja gets you on your heels with the dribble you’re at his mercy and he has a quick step. The Thunder did a great job defending as they forced Memphis into a lot of turnovers they just didn’t capitalize on them how they usually do.

The OKC Thunder will be playing against the Washington Wizards next on Sunday at 11:30 am.