The Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up Game 1 of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder had a dominating 131-80 victory against the eighth-seeded Grizzlies. It was an ironic game for OKC since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have a significantly high scoring performance. SGA finished with 15 points, three rebounds and five assists on 30.8 percent from the field, including a 1-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
Five other players for the Thunder scored in double digits, which is how Oklahoma City took over the game. For the Grizzlies, only two players scored in double digits, Ja Morant and Marvin Bagley III. Both players had 17 points in the loss.
However, there wasn’t a lot of attention on the game since it happened early in the league’s Easter Sunday schedule. It was the first contest of the four-game playoff battle and was played at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Veteran NBA analyst Skip Bayless was one of the people who complained about the league’s scheduling for the first playoff game of the team with the best record. Bayless took to X (formerly Twitter), his frustration over how the game was set up.
“THIS, NBA, IS WHAT YOU GET FOR DISRESPECTING THE TEAM FAVORED TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BY MAKING IT PLAY GAME 1 AT NOON. LOW NOON,” Bayless posted. “FOR THE TEAM THAT HAD THE GREATEST STATISTICAL SEASON EVER. KEEP IT IN THE SHADOWS, OUT OF THE WAY. JUST HAS “1 STAR.” NOW UP 42 ON SUPERSTAR JA.
THIS, NBA, IS WHAT YOU GET FOR DISRESPECTING THE TEAM FAVORED TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BY MAKING IT PLAY GAME 1 AT NOON. LOW NOON. FOR THE TEAM THAT HAD THE GREATEST STATISTICAL SEASON EVER. KEEP IT IN THE SHADOWS, OUT OF THE WAY. JUST HAS "1 STAR." NOW UP 42 ON SUPERSTAR JA.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 20, 2025
Following that, Bayless said he doesn’t believe the Oklahoma City Thunder can win the championship just based on their Game 1 performance in the first round. However, he still credited the team’s dominating performance.
“No, the Thunder can’t win the NBA championship in Game 1 of the first round. But they’re up 92-45 with 6:20 left in the 3rd quarter.”
Morant’s guarantee after their loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder gets a reaction from Bayless
After the loss, Grizzlies star Ja Morant spoke to the media and had a guarantee about their performance moving forward. The two-time All-Star told reporters that the team won’t play that badly ever again. Additionally, Morant was confident in front of the camera and was focused on Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“If we win Tuesday, the series (will be) 1-1,” Morant said. “This game won’t matter.”
His guarantee, however, caught the attention of Bayless. On X, the longtime media member criticized Morant’s comments and took a jab at the Grizzlies.
“Ja Morant says, ‘We’ll never play that bad again.’ As if what happened today in OKC was all about how the Grizzlies played,” Bayless posted.
Ja Morant says, "We'll never play that bad again." As if what happened today in OKC was all about how the Grizzlies played.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 20, 2025
On Tuesday, Game 2 will happen, and the Grizzlies are looking forward to getting a win on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
