Thunder Cap Off Impressive Season With Win Over Grizzlies
With a spot in the Play-In Tournament secured, the Oklahoma City Thunder played their regular season finale – which was also their last home game of this season. Taking on the Memphis Grizzlies, both teams were locked into their positions and this game held no implications for the playoffs. With that, both teams were resting their main rotation players.
The shorthanded Thunder took down the Grizzlies, also shorthanded, 115-110, fueled by a few guys who stepped up to the opportunity of big minutes.
In the first quarter, it was a low-scoring affair, which was to be expected with both teams sitting both their best players and their depth pieces. The Thunder trailed the Grizzlies 24-20 after the first frame. Jared Butler, who got the start for the Thunder, led the entire squad with five points through the first frame. Ousmane Dieng and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl both scored four points apiece.
The game’s pace slightly picked up in the second quarter, and the game remained close. More points were being scored from both teams. Not by much, though. Memphis led Oklahoma City 49-47 at halftime. Olivier Sarr was the Thunder’s leading scorer with nine points and seven rebounds.
It was a rounded effort from the Thunder in the first half, as all seven players that touched the floor scored and made their contributions.
Aaron Wiggins scored six points in six first half minutes played. The starters played a heavy first half load, as each of the starters played 20 or more minutes.
A 38-point third quarter would help the Thunder overtake the Grizzlies and pick up a double-digit lead. They led 85-73 after the three quarters. Tre Mann completed his triple-double in the quarter and Jared Butler scored 12 points on the quarter to get up to 20 points on the game.
The Thunder were able to build separation and run away with this game in the fourth quarter. Mann put together a solid stretch capped off by Butler that forced the Grizzlies into a timeout. The game was essentially iced, though there was plenty of game left. With both teams playing their second units, it was hard to imagine the Grizzlies coming back anyways.
The Thunder ended up winning 115-110 to finish the regular season with a 40-42 record. This was good for the tenth seed in the Western Conference. They'll play the loser of the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans matchup today.
A few solid games from a few Thunder players made the big difference in this game. Mann had an all around impact, racking up his first career triple-double. He finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
Sarr added a triple-double for the squad. He scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. On top of both of those performances, Butler scored 25 points on 10-of-21 shooting and 5-of-9 on 3-pointers.
It was a career night for Ousmane Dieng, who caps off his rookie season with a career-high 22 points.
Being shorthanded, the Thunder played a seven-man rotation, with the five starters playing over 40 minutes each. They all scored in double-figures and four of them scored more than 20 points.
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