THUNDER - Returning the favor from the previous possession, Lu Dort swung the ball to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the deep catch-and-shoot outside look. The MVP candidate shot it with no hesitation and swished it in. He held down three fingers in celebration as Memphis called a timeout to wave the white flag.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made easy work of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 120-103 win. The outside shot served as the dagger as it helped Gilgeous-Alexander cross the 40-point mark.

“Very impressive. That was our toughest stretch of the season. That’s as tough of a stretch as we’ve had from a travel and condensed games. It’s as tough of a stretch as we’ve had in a couple of years,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “For us to amp it up like that from an effort standpoint on the defensive end tonight was impressive. All the way, top to bottom, really good effort.”

Despite being another ho-hum double-digit victory, the Thunder and Grizzlies kept it interesting for the late-night viewers. Neither squad could buy a bucket early on. But by the end of the first quarter, their pace sped up. OKC exited the frame with a 30-28 lead.

After the Grizzlies took the lead early to open the second frame, the Thunder had a 15-6 run to snatch momentum. The quarter took eons to conclude as the Grizzlies bickered with the officials — from Taylor Jenkins getting a technical to Ja Morant’s complaints over non-calls to the Memphis crowd storming down boos.

The Grizzlies did everything they could to make up for the talent difference on the court by attempting to politick with the officials throughout the game. It was a failed endeavor. All it did was extend the game’s runtime. The Thunder didn’t fall for the distractions and scored 31 points in the frame to enter halftime with a 61-55 lead.

Out of the break, halftime didn’t do much to change the tempo. The Thunder scored nine straight points that were capped off by Isaiah Hartenstein’s transition dunk to turn it into a 76-64 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter.

After Aaron Wiggins successfully dove near the sideline seats to save the ball before it went out of bounds, his effort was immediately rewarded when Isaiah Joe knocked down an outside shot on the other end. The Thunder scored 30 points in the third frame and exited with a 91-78 lead.

Down by double-digit points, the Grizzlies needed a fast start to even think about a comeback. Scotty Pippen Jr. provided that off the bench against OKC’s bench lineup. Memphis scored the first seven points to make it a 91-85 game with nine minutes left.

After a quick timeout, Jalen Williams and Wiggins eased any concerns as the Thunder answered with seven straight points. That ballooned to a decisive

16-2 run where Gilgeous-Alexander joined midway through. He took over with difficult jumpers to seal the result.

Before you could blink, the Thunder turned a close contest for the first three quarters into a lopsided score. They led by as many as 20 points. Hoping to get a signature win, the Memphis crowd was stunned silent. It’s been a sight too familiar for them as OKC has dominated the Grizzlies in its season series with three double-digit victories.

The Thunder shot 51% from the field and went 15-of-36 (41.7%) from 3. They shot 17-of-19 on free throws. They had 27 assists on 44 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 41 points. Williams had 20 points and nine assists. Hartenstein finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Aaron Wiggins had 16 points and Jaylin Williams had 13 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 41% from the field and went 9-of-34 (26.5%) from 3. They shot 20-of-22 on free throws. They had 21 assists on 37 baskets. Five Grizzlies players scored double-digit points.

Morant had 24 points on 8-of-22 shooting and six assists. Desmond Bane had 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting and six rebounds. Pippen Jr. had 15 points and three rebounds. Brandon Clarke tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds. Vince Williams Jr. finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

Entering the season, everybody grouped the Thunder and Grizzlies in the same tier as young up-and-comers. After the former beat up on the latter again, it’s fair to say OKC has left Memphis in the dust. The Thunder continue to rack up impressive wins like these and have done so in several ways.

This time, their defense looked the best since the All-Star break. They’ve coasted on that end thanks to a high-octane offense but returned to their stonewall defensive identity against the Grizzlies. Morant’s forgettable season was worsened against the Thunder. In a game where it led during the entire second half, OKC stomped out any chances of an electric finish in the fourth quarter.

“I didn’t think our energy level and juice was quite to the level that it’s been for much of the season and I thought we returned to that tonight,” Daigneault said. “To do that on the eighth game in 13 days just speaks to the competitiveness to the team.”

X