The Oklahoma City Thunder were the best team in the NBA during the regular season, and they looked even better at the start of their first playoff game on Sunday.
The Thunder blew the doors off of the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half of Game 1 between the two teams at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company were somehow up 68-36 after two quarters, which was the largest halftime lead for the Thunder in a playoff game in franchise history.
What made the dominant first half even more impressive is that Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 9 points on 2-of-10 shooting. He averaged 32.7 points per game during the regular season, but OKC barely needed him in the first half against the Grizzlies.
Fans were quick to roast Memphis with the meme treatment over the abysmal half:
Thunder 63, Grizzlies 28, Second Quarter pic.twitter.com/pUn6iqaYdW
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 20, 2025
Thunder vs Grizzlies second quarter summary: pic.twitter.com/9NioTgyOKC
— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) April 20, 2025
Thunder and Grizzlies first half recap pic.twitter.com/nOAc6VrPQR
— Underdog (@Underdog) April 20, 2025
Everyone looking at the Thunder-Grizzlies score pic.twitter.com/hWNSLhKXSK
— BetRivers Sportsbook (@BetRivers) April 20, 2025
What the Grizzlies walked into at the paycom center today in the first half.
— Michael Martin (@MichaelOnSports) April 20, 2025
The Thunder lead by 32 after two quarters. pic.twitter.com/2wr6i1I8fU
NBA games are rarely decided with an entire half left to play, especially during the postseason. In this instance, even the Grizzlies probably wished they could have just given up and focused their attention on Game 2.
The Thunder finished an NBA-best 68-14 during the regular season. There have still been doubts about whether Gilgeous-Alexander can lead them on a deep playoff run, but it doesn’t look like OKC will even need him to be at his best for their opening-round series.
