Thunder Returns to OKC for Matchup with Memphis

Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Tip-Off Time: 7 p.m. CT

Television: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Radio: 98.1 FM WWLS the Sports Animal and the Thunder Radio Network

The Thunder wrapped up its four-game road trip in commanding fashion on Monday with a 112-103 victory over Minnesota. It was a game that required an added level of toughness for the Thunder both mentally and physically.

From a mental standpoint, it was the second night of a back-to-back where the Thunder was in Houston just the night before defeating the Rockets in a late-game 114-112 victory. From a physical standpoint, between the presence of 6-foot-11 Karl Anthony-Towns and the large frontline of 7-footers Aleksej Pokuševski and Moses Brown who logged a combined six blocks on Monday, nothing easy came in the paint for neither the Thunder nor the Timberwolves.

OKC pulled away with an historic shooting performance from behind the arc thanks to textbook ball movement. With 21 made 3-pointers, the Thunder logged the third-most triples in OKC history while shooting at a 56 percent clip from deep.

“It's just high, high level team basketball that I thought we displayed for much of the night,” said Head Coach Mark Daigneault. “I give our organization a lot of credit for the people they bring in. It starts there. They’re good guys. They root for each other.”

Once again, the Thunder’s scoring distribution took center stage for the second straight game. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points, he was one of five Thunder players to score in double figures, and one of eight to score nine points or more.

“It’s awesome man,” said Mykhailiuk who finished with 10 points off the bench. “When everybody moves the ball and touches the ball, then it’s easier for us to make shots and make the right decisions. It was really enjoyable to play like that.”href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1373375138582913026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2021

The last time the Thunder played in its home arena, was on March 14 and it was taking on the Memphis Grizzlies. In that game, the Thunder logged its fifth largest comeback win of the season after trailing by as many as 12 points and winning 128-122.

Memphis scored 30 points or more in all but one quarter while logging a commanding 62 points in the paint in its first matchup against the Thunder. Led by second-year, paint-hunting point guard Ja Morant and 6-foot-11 center Jonas Valanciunas, the Grizzlies lead the league in points in the paint with 56 on average each night.

Valanciunas, while averaging 16 points each night also secures 12 rebounds a game which puts him at third in the league in the rebounding category. His efforts also lift the Grizzlies to the number three spot in second chance points each night.

Morant headlines the Grizzlies offense each night with a team-high 19 points per game. The lightning-quick guard spearheads a fast-paced, up-tempo Grizzlies offense that thrives in transition and fast break.

Part of the Thunder’s comeback performance on March 14 was a winning effort on the glass. The Thunder outrebounded Memphis 46-32 in its comeback as every single player logged three or more boards. This has been a strength for the Thunder over its last six games as it ranks ninth in total rebounds and fourth in offensive boards.

With the paint presence of Jonas Valanciunas under the rim for Memphis, the Grizzlies sit at eighth in rebounds over the same time frame and sixth in offensive boards. The team who is able to control the glass on Wednesday, will likely have an edge in the game overall.

Turnovers — In the Thunder’s last matchup against Memphis, the Grizzlies earned 35 points off of the Thunder’s 25 turnovers. This is an area where the Grizzlies have made a living all season long as they rank first in the league in points of turnovers and second in forced turnovers and fast break points.

In some cases, the best defense is a solid offense. Look for the Thunder to put an emphasis on ball security to not only generate high-quality looks of its own, but to limit as many Memphis run outs as possible.

While the lineups have changed throughout the season for the Thunder’s second unit, the production and contributions have remained steady. After an historic shooting performance on Monday where the Thunder bench made a season-high 10 3-pointers, OKC’s reserves have now logged five games out of the last six shooting 40 percent or better from deep. Three reserves have scored in double figures for the Thunder in five of the last six games.

“This is an amazing group of guys and I feel like we all have the same mentality as far as just going in the game, knowing what we have to do and playing with intensity every time we get on the court,” said Brown. “Every opportunity that we have to go out there, we're just going to play the hardest we can.”