Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Looks to Complete Season Sweep of Grizzlies
In this story:
Oklahoma City is slated to take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, less than a week since their previous meeting when the Thunder claimed a 31-point win at home.
They'll be away from Paycom Center in this contest, but are in a great position to take the third and final game of this matchup's season series – something Oklahoma City hasn't done over Memphis since 2017-18.
The Thunder enter this meeting off a tough victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Though without Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving rose to the occasion, but couldn't quite take down Oklahoma City behind its home crowd.
Taking that momentum into Memphis, the Thunder look to continue to creep toward the 50-win mark.
© Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 9.5-point favorites against the Grizzlies, and the total over/under is 219.5 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
Last meeting, it was a conscientious rebounding effort from every player on the Thunder. Fourteen players registered at least one rebound throughout the night, giving Oklahoma City an uncharacteristic edge on the boards as Josh Giddey led the team with 10 rebounds.
This'll be point of emphasis again on Saturday, as it secures the team defensive stops and provides more opportunities to leak out into transition.
Those transition chances are also derived from forced turnovers, which the Thunder excelled at creating before against the Grizzlies – having 22 points off 16 takeaways.
Finally, it'd be ideal to limit rookie GG Jackson's production on Saturday. Last time versus Oklahoma City, he posted his career-high in points with 30 on just 19 shots. The first-year forward was large part of the Grizzlies' 40 points in the paint, an area the Thunder have showed a slight weakness in defending of late.
RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (46-20) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (23-44)
INJURIES:
Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today.
WHEN:
Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 7 p.m. CT
LOCATION:
FedExForum - Memphis, TN
TV/RADIO:
Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start Your Free Trial)
FINAL WORD:
This will be a chance to capitalize versus a manageable opponent for the Thunder. A struggling Memphis team plagued with injuries all year long, Oklahoma City should come out with plenty of energy in pursuit of solidifying the top spot in the West as the season nears its end.
Next, the Thunder will return back home to face the Utah Jazz at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday before heading out on a three-game road trip.
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