Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured on 41 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder over the ailing Grizzlies 120-103 at the FedExForum on Wednesday, March 5.
Memphis’ record falls to 38-24 with their fourth consecutive loss. The first place Thunder extend their lead over the fourth place Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings to a near-insurmountable 13 games.
Injuries didn’t help Memphis’ cause. All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. missed the game after rolling his ankle in the opening minutes of the 130-128 loss to the Hawks on Monday, March 3. He remains day-to-day.
“We have to continue to focus on us. One day at a time. We have lost four straight, but on the totality of the season we are in a great spot. We have done some great things. There is no need to hang our heads. We have to understand the situation we are in and come back and be better,” said Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane.
The Grizzlies had few answers for the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander hit 14-25 from the field for a .560% shooting on the night. He was also as perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe.
Gilgeous-Alexander also hit 3-5 from deep for the contest. As a team, the Thunder sank 15-36 attempts for a 41.7% rate. Memphis shooting woes continue after hitting only 9-34 from deep for 26.5%.
Efforts to double-team the Canadian-born player largely failed too. Gilgeous-Alexander also found teammates for eight assists.
One dish helped stall out a Grizzlies run midway through the fourth quarter. While posting up, Gilgeous-Alexander spotted Jalen Williams unguarded at the top of the three-point line. The shot extended the Thunder lead to 103-87 with 6:49 left. A few plays later, a Gilgeous-Alexander turnaround jump shot pushed the lead to 107-87.
The Grizzlies defense tightened. Scottie Pippen Jr. took a steal on the Thunder end of the court for a breakaway dunk. The slam narrowed the margin to 107-96 with 4:06 left in the game. However, Gilgeous-Alexander nailed a 30-ft three-point shot with 1:31 remaining. The extended range shot put the Thunder up 118-99.
Memphis started the fourth quarter hot. A Pippen three pointer pulled the Grizzlies to 91-85 with 10:35 left in the quarter. Pippen had collected an offensive rebound off a miss and then moved to the three point line, where he was spotted by Brandon Clarke. Pippen had also scored a basket on the previous play.
A Jaylen Wells turnover down low led to a Isaiah Harentstein dunk on the other end that gave the Thunder a 12-point lead with 6:11 left in the third quarter. The margin would inch up to a 15 points during the period. A Brandon Clarke tip-in on a missed three-point attempt by Wells narrowed the margin to 91-78 going into the final period.
“This is a heck of a team we are going against. I think we made some progress. They got going in the third quarter. Shai is a heck of a player and they are a heck of a team. I thought we held ground against a really good opponent,” said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins.
Oklahoma entered the second half with a 61-55 lead.
Jalen Williams chipped in 20 points and a game-high nine assists. Center Isaiah Hartenstein netted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Memphis was led by Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup after a two game absence with a shoulder injury. The Grizzlies second leading scorer notched 25 points on 8-22 shooting, He also dished out a team-high six assists. Morant currently averages 20.9 points and 7.4 assists in 38 games played this season.
“I felt we played well, honestly. Our energy was good. They went on a couple of runs to open the lead up. We came back with a run of our own to start the fourth. They countered with another run. We have to continue to play with that effort and have our brother’s back,” said Morant.
Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 22.7 points per game leads the team.
Bane and Pippen scored 15 points apiece for the Grizzlies. Brandon Clarke had a double-double off the pine with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Vince Williams added 12 points after getting the starting nod in place of Jackson.
After a two-game road trip against Dallas and New Orleans, the Grizzlies return to Memphis to host the Phoenix Suns on Monday, March 10.
