NBA Playoffs 2025: Oklahoma City Thunder Set Records in Game 1 Win Over Memphis

Even though Oklahoma City Thunder had the best NBA record and a strong regular season, several people had doubts about their playoff fitness.

In Game 1 of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the Thunder gave a resounding response. Oklahoma City led 32–20 at the start of the first quarter and 68–36 at the half.

The Oklahoma City Thunder easily won 131-80 when it was all over and done. The winning margin was less than the 58-point NBA playoff record set by the 1956 Minneapolis Lakers and the 2009 Denver Nuggets. However, the 51-point deficit is the biggest ever for a Game 1 and the fifth-largest in playoff history. 47 points was the previous Game 1 record.

Memphis sent its starters to the bench to raise the white flag at the beginning of the fourth inning. The Thunder retaliated, and late in the fourth quarter, they increased their lead to as much as 56 points (129–73).

It was the kind of thrashing that occasionally occurs when a squad is totally outmatched in high school or college. It is uncommon to witness such a blowout in the NBA. Even more so for seeing it during the playoffs.

A statistical analysis of OKC’s decisive win over Memphis

With a strong first half that hasn’t been seen by a club without LeBron James in the previous 28 seasons, Oklahoma City took the lead. Oklahoma City’s lead of 35 points (61-28) in the second quarter is the third-largest in the first half of a playoff game since the NBA began recording play-by-play statistics in 1996-97, according to the Associated Press. James’ Cleveland Cavaliers led by 38 points in 2016 and 41 points in the 2017 playoffs.

Then, with a 44-27 lead in the third quarter, Oklahoma City continued to drive.

The victory marked the end of the Thunder’s stellar regular season, during which they amassed a 68-14 record and the biggest average victory margin in NBA history (12.9 points per game). Despite reaching the Western Conference semifinals the previous season, there was concern on the young core’s lack of playoff experience as they have only been in two postseason series together.

The win on Sunday should allay any worries. Their MVP candidate and NBA scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored less than 20 points for the first time in 73 games, put up a strong effort during a slump.

This was done by the Thunder in the season’s lowest scoring game for SGA

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 4 of 13 for the game and 2 of 10 in the first half, scoring a season-low 15 points. The Thunder put the rest of the NBA on notice, as if it wasn’t already, with a genuine team effort in which no player scored more than 21 points.

Aaron Wiggins scored 21 points off the bench, the most of any Thunder player to score in double figures. For Jalen Williams, the plus/minus column showed a plus-44.

Desmond Bane of Memphis responded with a minus-51, scoring nine points and committing four turnovers. That is the worst plus/minus rating by a player in a 21st-century NBA playoff game, according to StatMuse.

The Grizzlies’ swarming defense, however, stifled more than just Bane. The only Memphis starter with more made field goals than turnovers was Ja Morant.

The Thunder generated a remarkable 22 turnovers and restricted the Grizzlies to a mere 34.4% shooting from the floor, including a dismal 17.6% (6 of 34) from beyond the arc. In contrast, Oklahoma City committed only eight turnovers, boasting an impressive shooting percentage of 50.5% and achieving a 54-43 advantage in rebounds.

This performance showcased the Thunder’s dominance as the top team in the NBA, reinforcing that their regular-season success over 82 games was anything but coincidental.