NBA Playoff Preview: Grizzlies vs. Thunder

The Memphis Grizzlies woke up on the morning of February 19 in second place in a loaded Western Conference. 

Memphis had limped into the All-Star break with no Ja Morant, but a well-rested group should be ready for an important second half of the season, right? Right? 

Wrong.

The Grizzlies went on to go 12-17 after the ASB, and it ended with the shocking firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins, the leader in franchise wins, after a disastrous 4th quarter collapse against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 27. 

Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo took over a squad that was trying to find a way to beat elite teams. The team had free-fallen in the standings, losing three out of four games to teams over .500 in the last two weeks of the season. They were forced to face the Golden State Warriors in The Bay for a chance to secure the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

After another tough loss that saw Memphis fail to inbound the basketball on a potential game-tying possession, the Grizzlies headed back home to square off against the Dallas Mavericks, a team that had been the talk of the entire NBA since they traded away their perennial franchise cornerstone in Luka Doncic back on February 1. Oh, and there was a chance that the Grizzlies would be without Morant after an ugly fall on his ankle in the second half of a 121-116 loss just three days prior.

A big first half on Friday night was enough for the Grizzlies to coast by the Mavericks, 120-106. The win earned them a date with the 68-win Thunder squad, which has beaten the Grizzlies three times already this season by an average of 20 points.

And in case you have been living under a rock this season, the Thunder have been led by NBA MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.7 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5 RPG). Oklahoma City was No. 1 defensively and No. 3 offensively, had the league’s best net rating and was just one of two teams (Boston) to finish in the top five offensive and defensively this season.

The Thunder and Grizzlies have had epic playoff matchups in the past, but it seems like the Grizzlies will need a miracle to force a Game 5.

OKC is -3900 to win the series. 

Oklahoma City possesses depth and crucial pieces around SGA, including All-Star Jaylen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Lu Dort.

One thing Memphis might be able to take advantage of early in Game 1 is the fact that the Thunder's key pieces haven’t played in a game since April 8. Maybe the time off makes them start off a tad rusty on Sunday? I doubt it, but I figured I would say something nice about the Grizzlies since they’re my favorite team.

I see the Thunder sweeping the Grizzlies and cruising to the Western Conference semifinals, while Memphis will have to look in the mirror and answer some hard questions heading into a big offseason in 2025.

Parlay: Chet Holmgren o7.5 rebounds, Desmond Bane o19.5 points, Isaiah Hartenstein o22.5 PRA. (+500 via DK Sportsbook)