On Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a 117-115 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. With their win, the Thunder completed a 4-0 series sweep of the eighth-seeded Grizzlies squad. Memphis didn’t have its star player, Ja Morant, who was ruled out due to a hip contusion he sustained in Game 3.
Even without their best player, the Grizzlies put up a fight and had an early lead in the first quarter. However, the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led group erased the lead. From late in the first period until the fourth quarter, the ball game was controlled by Oklahoma City.
Without Morant, the Grizzlies were led by Scotty Pippen Jr., who had 30 points as the team’s starting point guard. Pippen shot 42.9 percent from the field and controlled the boards with 11 rebounds. Santi Aldama and Desmond Bane contributed with 23 and 22 points, respectively.
However, they were no match for Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 38 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals in 54.2 percent from the field. SGA also took command of the game with his clutch mid-range step-back jumpshot. His co-star, Jalen Williams, contributed 23 points on a 47.6 percent shooting clip.
After the win, head coach Mark Daigneault credited the team’s execution of their play in the crucial part of the game.
“On a playoff stage with playoff pressure, we executed really well late in this one… Once it tightened up, everything from defensive execution, clock management, the fouling up three, the block out on the free throw, was all very positive,” the Thunder coach said.
Mark Daigneault on clutch time:
"On a playoff stage with playoff pressure, we executed really well late in this one… Once it tightened up, everything from defensive execution, clock management, the fouling up three, the block out on the free throw, was all very positive."
— Nick Gallo (@NickAGallo) April 26, 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs. They’ll wait for the winning team in the Denver Nuggets-Los Angeles Clippers series, which was tied 2-2 on Saturday.
NBA legend made their feelings clear about the Oklahoma City Thunder’s star
SGA has the chance to win his first regular-season MVP award this year. He’s one of the three finalists who could receive the prestigious individual award. On the latest episode of “The Young Man and The Three,” two-time MVP and NBA legend Steve Nash spoke about what he thinks about Gilgeous-Alexander.
“He’s an absolute master of his craft, and that comes from hard work. That comes from really intentional, purposeful work… I knew he would be a pro, I did not know this… A big admiration for him. Not just how he’s gotten there but how he handles himself… A guy that the league should be putting everywhere,” Nash said about the MVP candidate (37:08).
SGA finished the season averaging 32.7 points, five rebounds and 6.4 assists. This is the third straight season he’s averaged at least 30 points. The 6-foot-6 has led the Oklahoma City Thunder to become true title contenders this campaign.
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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.
