Ja Morant's Six-Word Statement on Historic Loss in Grizzlies-Thunder

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant got honest after losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1

Apr 20, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) walks off the court during the second half of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

After taking down the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in tournament, the Memphis Grizzlies earned the right to play in the NBA playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The bad news? They drew the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Of course, very few people expected the Grizzlies to take down the Thunder in a seven-game series, but even fewer people expected what just happened on Sunday afternoon.

The Thunder blew out the Grizzlies at home, beating them 131-80. The 51-point win marked the largest margin of victory in a Game 1 in NBA playoff history.

THUNDER BLOW OUT GRIZZLIES BY 51 PTS 😳🤯

Largest margin of victory EVER in a Game 1 😱 pic.twitter.com/2fPykDKRbv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 20, 2025

Oklahoma City led by as many as 56 points in Sunday's game, handing the Grizzlies as deflating of a loss as possible. Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant tried to keep Memphis in the game, scoring 17 points on poor 6-17 shooting. Following the loss, Morant kept it simple.

"We'll never play that bad again," Morant said.

"if we win tuesday, the series 1-1."

Ja Morant on looking for a positive takeaway from today's loss in OKC

🎥 @MyMikeCheck pic.twitter.com/ht6SMMxNxs

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) April 20, 2025

Morant also shared a more positive outlook after the blowout loss, already looking ahead to Tuesday's Game 2.

"If we win Tuesday, the series is 1-1 and this game won't matter," Morant said.

Apr 20, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Morant became one of the NBA's hottest stars down the stretch of the regular season, but some turmoil in Memphis left many fans still questioning what the playoffs would look like. The Grizzlies have commonly been knocked for not beating good teams, and now, facing the league's best team, they suffered one of the worst playoff losses in NBA history.

Morant and the Grizzlies will get an opportunity to bounce back and make a statement on Tuesday.