OKC Thunder Keep Their Foot On the Gas After Another Dominant Win in Game 2 vs. Grizzlies

OKLAHOMA CITY—The Oklahoma City Thunder continued their statement-making playoff run on Tuesday night after once again dismantling the Memphis Grizzlies 118–99 in Game 2 of their first-round series in OKC. The convincing win gives the top seeded Thunder a commanding 2–0 series lead as the teams head to Memphis for Game 3.

It was another game where Thunder star and MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was trying to find a rhythm and his teammates picking up some slack. This sounds pretty crazy to say for someone who had 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals but that’s just how good Shai is.

“I feel like I’m getting the looks I usually make,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Just missing them…they’ve [teammates] had my back the last two nights.”

Nevertheless, it was another balanced, energetic win that pushed them past the Grizzlies who played much better in Game 2.

From the opening tip, the Thunder played with purpose. And unlike Game 1, the offense was humming from the start of the game. They jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and never trailed, using crisp ball movement, suffocating defense, and efficient scoring to keep the Grizzlies at bay all night.

While Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be the engine behind Oklahoma City’s offense, it was Alex Caruso who made perhaps the biggest impact in Game 2. He was everywhere on both ends of the floor. Whether it was diving for loose ball, getting a deflection, pushing the pace to create an imbalance, or hitting open shots, Caruso did it. If you look at the box score nothing really stands out with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. However, if you watch the game, you see the huge impact he had on this win for OKC.

“I’m in at the elite group of [competitors]…I’m ready to just go out there and do what it takes to win,” said Caruso.

Head coach Mark Daigneault echoed these sentiments after the game saying,

“He’s just such a unique player. You can put him on [Ja] Morant, you can put him on [Jaren] Jackson, you can also put him on someone else and he can be really disruptive…he was unbelievable…he was a catalyst in that group [that got things going at the start of the fourth.]”

To the credit of Memphis, they didn’t fold easily. After trailing by as many as 23 points, Memphis made a run behind Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant’s strong third quarter. Bringing the Thunder lead down to only 8, Memphis had finally thrown a punch in this fight. It wasn’t enough though because although the Thunder offense was a little sluggish in the third frame, they found a way to continue their control on the game and pushed the lead back up to 11 by the end of the quarter.

The Thunder opened the fourth quarter on a 9–0 run that effectively ended any hopes of a Grizzlies comeback. It was a reminder of how deep and disciplined this OKC squad has become.

The contrast in styles and execution was evident. The Thunder have looked like a well-oiled machine through two games—athletic, connected, and defensively tenacious. They’ve held Memphis under 100 points in both games and have now outscored the Grizzlies 48–8 on the fast break over the first two games of the series.

Much of that has to do with OKC’s relentless pace and defensive energy. Lu Dort, who chipped in 12 points and a handful of defensive stops, once again took on the assignment of hounding Morant, making him work for every bucket. Morant certainly had a much better game in Game 2 vs. Game 1 but Lu [and the Thunder] made to to make sure every shot was tough. Isaiah Joe added a spark off the bench and it wasn’t particularly with his three point shooting. The Grizzlies tried to hunt him on defense but he made sure to let them know that he isn’t a guy that you can just easily score on.

Meanwhile, Memphis has struggled to find any rhythm beyond its stars. The absence of consistent secondary scoring and the lack of interior resistance has been glaring. With rookie Jaylen Wells and Brandon Clarke being out due to injury, the Grizzlies have had no answers for the Thunder ball movement, depth, and intensity.

Looking Ahead to Game 3

The series now shifts to Memphis, where the Grizzlies will have the benefit of home-court energy—but plenty of work to do. No team wants to go down 0–3, especially one as talented and proud as Memphis. Still, they’ll need significant adjustments to avoid that fate.

As they say, a series doesn’t start until the road team wins a game.

For the Thunder, they’ll look to maintain their momentum and maturity. A 3–0 lead would put them firmly in control, and this young team is playing like they believe they’re ready for a deep playoff run.

If these first two games are any indication, what lies ahead for the Thunder the NBA world could be in for something special.

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