OKC Thunder Falls to Grizzlies by 12 Points in Summer League Opener

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 92-80, in its Salt Lake City Summer League opener on Saturday night.

Memphis racked up 30 points off 23 Oklahoma City turnovers and led by as many as 16 early in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Ajay Mitchell scored a game-high 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting. He added six assists and a steal in 27 minutes. He checked out briefly after banging knees with a Grizzlies defender on a drive during the third quarter but returned.

Nikola Topic, making his professional debut after recovering from an ACL injury since May 2024, registered 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, four assists, two steals, a rebound and seven turnovers in 26 minutes.

Brooks Barnhizer notched nine points on 3-for-5 shooting, 13 rebounds (three offensive), a steal and a block in 26 minutes.

GG Jackson II and Jaylen Wells combined for 40 points, including six 3-pointers, seven rebounds (two offensive), three assists and two steals to fuel the Grizzlies.

Statistic	Thunder	Grizzlies
Points	80	92
2-Pointers	24-for-42	19-for-41
3-Pointers	7-for-23	10-for-27
Free Throws	11-for-17	24-for-25
Turnovers	23	16
Offensive Rebounds	9	7

The Thunder started Topic, Mitchell, Barnhizer, Malevy Leons and Mady Sissoko.

The Grizzlies started Zyon Pullin, Cam Spencer, Wells, Jackson II and Armando Bacot.

Mitchell scored or assisted on Oklahoma City's first nine points, making two driving layups and two free throws. Wells responded with eight points in a five-possession stretch, including a fast-break 3-pointer to force a Thunder timeout. Barnhizer and Sissoko each picked up five rebounds within seven minutes.

Topic intercepted two early passes and got on the board with a left-handed layup at the first quarter's 2:26 mark after missing his first three shots. He found Alex Ducas for a running triple on the next trip to give the Thunder a one-point lead. Mitchell poured in a floater in the closing seconds, but Oklahoma City trailed 19-18 after the first frame due to eight turnovers against Memphis' constant ball pressure.

The Grizzlies scored five quick points after the break, with Spencer nailing a top-of-the-key three off a pindown screen, but the Thunder rattled off eight straight of its own through Barnhizer and Chris Youngblood. Topic, who recorded two assists in that stretch, then made his second layup of the night in a breakaway situation.

Memphis registered seven points in a row, capped by a Nate Hinton triple, before Mitchell knocked down his first 3-pointer. Wells picked Topic and threw a two-on-one alley-oop to Jackson II to give the Grizzlies a four-point lead. Mitchell converted two floaters and assisted Topic on a right-wing three, but Memphis led 45-40 at halftime due to a successful last-second inbounds play.

Wells splashed another 3-pointer to begin the third quarter and reached 17 points on two free throws a minute later. Barnhizer nailed a difficult and-one fadeaway for his second field goal. Ducas made his second triple midway through the frame, and Jackson II and Leons traded and-one layups to continue an action-packed period.

Wells and Topic drilled consecutive 3-pointers, with the latter putting in a poised layup for his 14th point, but Memphis scored on its last four possessions of the quarter to take a commanding 10-point advantage. Jackson II nailed a difficult triple from Spencer, and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. stripped Topic and swished two jumpers.

Oklahoma City takes on No. 3 pick V.J. Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers this Monday, July 7 at 6 p.m. CST.

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.