Thunder Top Grizzlies Behind Josh Giddey's Triple Double
Oklahoma City continued its hot start to the summer with a convincing 87-71 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
While it wasn’t the same offensive outpour, the Thunder still got the job done. OKC led by five points at halftime but pulled away after a big second half from Josh Giddey.
Jalen Williams led the way offensively, impressing once again with his scoring. The Santa Clara product finished with 16 points, drilling all three of his 3-point attempts.
Giddey and Chet Holmgren were in on the action once again, each having solid stat lines. The quickly developing duo finished the game at a combined plus-42. Holmgren struggled with the physicality of Grizzles forward Kenny Lofton Jr., but still had a positive performance. Lofton led the Grizzlies with 19 points.
Giddey triple-doubled for the first time this summer, pouring in 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He was a force on the defensive end, too, recording two steals. The Australian struggled to shoot from deep once again, going 0-for-4. Developing a reliable 3-point jumper this summer is the next step in the development of his game.
Holmgren finished the night with 11 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He shot just 3-of-11 from the floor and seemed to run out of steam down the stretch, playing the second night of a back-to-back. He still finished the game with a plus-20 and helped anchor things on the defensive end.
Lindy Waters made the most of his 20 minutes of court time, hitting two triples and adding 11 points.
As a team, the Thunder got the job done on the defensive end. Oklahoma City held the Grizzlies to just 30.1% from the floor and 20.5% from 3-point range. The defensive rotations seemed to be firing on all cylinders, and the Thunder used plenty of length throughout the lineups.
OKC was also extremely generous on the offensive end, recording 23 assists to Memphis’ 13. Even when the looks weren't dropping, the ball movement was impressive all night.
Oklahoma City moves to 2-0 in Utah with two blowout victories. Next up, the Thunder will square off against the Sixers at 5 p.m Thursday night.
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