MEMPHIS — Facing up against Vince Williams Jr., Shai Gilgeous-Alexander only needed a few dribbles. Sudden sideways stoppage created enough space from the Memphis defender for the probable MVP winner to step back and rattle in the deep midrange jumper to quiet the crowd.

It took a little more effort and stress than anticipated, but the Oklahoma City Thunder escaped with a 117-115 Game 4 win to complete the Round 1 sweep. They’re the first team to move on to the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

“These last two have been good for us on a playoff stage with playoff pressure. I thought we executed really well late in this one. Like really late. We could’ve been a little bit tighter when we built whatever the lead was. I think it was 11,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we got a little loose on some defensive possessions, specifically. Once it tightened up, I thought everything from defensive execution, clock management, the fouling up three, the block-out on the free throw was all very positive.”

This was universally expected to be a lopsided affair. Ja Morant’s injury zapped the optimism out of the gym. A half-filled Memphis crowd showed how disinterested its fans became about this playoff series. The players didn’t show that, though. This turned into a thriller that came down to the final possession.

The Thunder held a 34-31 lead after the first quarter. After struggling in the first three games, Gilgeous-Alexander snapped out of his funk. He had a perfect 16 points in the first frame. Both teams went back and forth in the second quarter. OKC couldn’t convert its outside looks while Memphis’ role players stepped up.

The Thunder entered halftime with a 60-59 lead. Out of the break, the Thunder went on a 16-6 run to create some space on the scoreboard. But the Grizzlies answered back as Scotty Pippen Jr. dissected OKC’s defense. The Thunder had a slight 88-85 lead after three quarters.

That guaranteed a close finish. It looked like the Thunder were on the verge of cruising through the final four minutes. A 16-6 run put them up by a game-high 12 points. Gilgeous-Alexander’s stepback 3-point sent Grizzlies fans for the exits as OKC led 108-96. Finally, breathing room.

To their credit, the Grizzlies amped it up. They scored eight straight points to make it a 108106 contest with a little under two minutes left. Santi Aldama’s corner 3-pointer brought the Memphis crowd back to life. Desmond Bane drilled a deep 3-pointer to make it a two-point game with eight seconds left.

After Jalen Williams split a pair of free throws on the next possession, the Thunder suddenly had just a 117-114 lead with six seconds left. The Thunder went the foul-up-three route on the next possession. Bane made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, hoping for one last look.

Instead, the final second finally expired as the buzzer loudly sounded to deflate the arena. Phew. The Thunder avoided a disaster finish after letting go of the rope in the final two minutes. The shorthanded Grizzlies almost pulled off the upset and kept their season alive for at least one more game.

The Thunder shot 44% from the field and went 7-of-35 (20%) from 3. They shot 28-of-35 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 41 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his best game of the series with an efficient 38 points. Williams also helped out with 23 points. Chet Holmgren finished with 11 points and four blocks. Isaiah Hartenstein tallied 11 points, 12 rebounds and four steals. Isaiah Joe scored 11 points off the bench.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 46% from the field and went 12-of-31 (38.7%) from 3. They shot 29-of-30 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 37 baskets. Five Grizzlies players scored double-digit points.

Jaren Jackson Jr. was limited to 12 points and four rebounds. Bane had 23 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Pippen Jr. finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Aldama stepped up with 23 points and nine rebounds. Williams Jr. had 11 points off the bench.

This was the ugliest of the four wins, but you can’t complain about a playoff sweep. The Thunder fought off against the short-handed Grizzlies as Gilgeous-Alexander looked the best in all the playoffs. It took some serious sweat and wasn’t a walk in the park, but that’s typical for you at this time of the year.

“Just off the top, want to acknowledge Memphis. Hard-fought series and was particularly impressed with just their fight in the series,” Daigneault said. “Obviously, a demoralizing Game 1 for them and they were better in Game 2. Really good in Game 3 and their fight tonight was impressive down 3-0, down Morant, down 11 with four to go. A lot of respect for them competitively.”

The Thunder now await another week. Like last year, they’ll have to wait out their Round 2 opponent as the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers fight it out in a tight first-round series. To show the razor-thin margin between those two teams, Aaron Gordon’s putback dunk a couple of hours later barely cut into regulation to tie the series at two wins apiece.

“We’ve had these long layoffs between the one seed last year and the play-in week. We swept last year as well, so we had that long layoff between Round 1 and 2. We had another long layoff this year during the play-in week,” Daigneault said. “I think we made some progress from last year to this year in terms of our process. We’ve done a nice job of getting ourselves ready for the series. We played well in the Game 1s. I think we maintained relative rhythm and sharpness without games.”

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