Thunder Suffer 73-point Loss, Largest in NBA History
The Oklahoma City Thunder were on the wrong side of history Thursday night.
Fielding a starting backcourt tandem in Ty Jerome and Tre Mann in the absences of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, the Oklahoma City Thunder were hounded by the Memphis Grizzlies 152-79 on Thursday.
Oklahoma City’s 73-point thrashing placed the largest loss in NBA history, topping the previous record of 68 points — placed in a 1991 match between the Cavaliers and Heat.
The Oklahoma City Thunder stand at 6-16 following their back-to-back capper, now riding the tails of a seven-game losing streak.
Despite missing the services of Ja Morant, Memphis started Thursday’s contest with a commanding 20-8 run, and they never looked back. Highlighted by a 41-point second quarter, the Grizzlies doubled the Thunder’s halftime total to the tune of a 72-36 outburst, holding Oklahoma City to a paltry 24.4-percent shooting display in the segment.
The Grizzlies’ wire-to-wire domination persisted into the second half, mounting a 40-point stronghold three minutes into the half and never looking back.
At their peak, Memphis held a 78-point edge over Oklahoma City, pouring on a 148-70 lead in the final three minutes.
The absence of Gilgeous-Alexander became evident from the get-go Thursday, as with a 32.6-percent clip from the floor coupled with a mere 28.9-percent (11-of-38) conversion rate from distance — OKC's offense never surfaced. The one silver lining — they shot 18-of-22 at the stripe.
On the flip-side, Memphis’ inside-out attack proved to be too much for Daigneault’s crew, making use of Derrick Favors’ no show to place 82 points in the paint — outscoring the Thunder as a collective. The Grizzlies’ prominence tapped into all levels by the final horn, nailing 62.5 percent of shots while shooting 19-of-36 (52.8%) from downtown.
Eight members of the Grizzlies roster placed double-digits Thursday, starred by a 27-point outing from Jaren Jackson Jr.
Lu Dort, Mike Muscala, and Mann surfaced Oklahoma City’s trio of double-digit scoring totals with 15, 12, and 10 points, respectively. As a result of injuries, Mark Daigneault handed ample opportunities to his bench mob, handing G-League assignees Gabriel Deck and Paul Watson Jr. upwards of 20 minutes.
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