The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies and are the first team to enter the second round of the NBA Playoffs. With the home crowd behind them, the Grizzlies put up their best fight of the series but suffered a 117-115 loss and will now face some difficult questions this offseason.
Memphis covered the 16.5-spread on DraftKings Sportsbook with the game going over the 223.5 game total.
As is typically the case, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($9,900, 59.25 FPTS) led the charge for the Thunder. He finished with 38 points, six assists and five rebounds in the victory, including the dagger jump shot to put the game away.
Isaiah Hartenstein ($5,900, 38.50 FPTS) made his presence felt on the interior and anchored the Thunder defense. The prized offseason acquisition finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Chet Holmgren ($7,200, 26.50 FPTS) proved far more impactful than his stats indicated, tallying 11 points, two boards and four blocks.
Jalen Williams ($7,700, 36.00 FPTS) dominated in the early minutes of the game, setting the tone early on. He finished with 23 points, five assists and four rebounds while Alex Caruso ($4,500, 23.75 FPTS) continues to be a valuable piece off the bench.
For Memphis, it was Scottie Pippen Jr. ($5,400, 49.75 FPTS) who stepped up in a major way during the absence of Ja Morant. The 24-year-old finished with a career-high 30 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Pippen Jr. was the heartbeat of the Grizzlies’ offense before he fouled out with 1:01 remaining.
Zach Edey ($5,300, 33.00 FPTS) joined him on the bench with six fouls as well. Edey was productive when he was on the court, adding eight points, eight rebounds and seven blocks in the loss.
Desmond Bane ($7,100, 35.25 FPTS) also did his best to keep his squad alive, finishing with 23 points, five assists and five rebounds. Santi Aldama ($4,800, 40.25 FPTS) added 23 points of his own, connecting on five of his seven three-point attempts and adding nine rebounds.
This is a frustrating loss for Memphis, with a lot of the game plan going in their favor. It out-rebounded Oklahoma City 51-33 in the matchup and limited the Thunder to 7-for-35 (20%) on three-point attempts. The Thunder were unable to extend the lead beyond 12 throughout despite holding the advantage for the majority of the game.
Oklahoma City will now await the winner of the Nuggets and Clippers series. Oklahoma City is the title favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, holding +145 odds of winning the NBA Championship and -170 odds of winning the Western Conference.
