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OKC Thunder shows off depth vs. Grizzlies to stay atop West: 'We've got so many weapons'
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- OKC Thunder shows off depth vs. Grizzlies to stay atop West: 'We've got so many weapons'
Some televised beatdowns should be met with discretion.
Bud Crawford's dismissal of Errol Spence. The infamous Malice at the Palace. Whatever the Thunder did to the Jaren Jackson-led Grizzlies in its 124-93 win on Sunday night.
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By the first quarter, it was ugly. By the second, it was over. By the third, it was worth viewers turning their heads.
Memphis, after a year mostly without Ja Morant and Desmond Bane , entered Sunday with the NBA's worst offense. The Thunder , which has enjoyed youth and employs a handful of notable defensive difference makers, entered the game with one of the league's best defenses. It didn't take long before the Grizzlies ' flame was stomped out.
OKC held Memphis to 41% from the field and 33% from 3 on 33 attempts. The Thunder, both in the halfcourt and in transition, thrived. It connected on 21 3-pointers, scoring 100 points before the third quarter even finished.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , who flirted with history for another night, ended up with 23 points, six assists and a season-high five 3-pointers before the third quarter's end. Cason Wallace ended with a career-high 22 points. Lu Dort didn't miss a shot, going 5 for 5 for 14 points.
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And by the fourth quarter, the starters were comfortably done for the night. If they wanted to, they could've closed their eyes then.
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A notable Giddey week
This didn't look like Josh Giddey . Not the Josh Giddey that's hoped to adjust to his new role this year, anyway. This version of Giddey put his head down, barreling through a couple defenders on separate occasions to get right to the rim — sequences that felt reminiscent of the player viewers got to know in his first couple seasons.
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All he'd done was pick his spots. Giddey finished off his best week in recent memory with another solid game — and an especially notable quarter.
A first quarter full of sound decisions, aggressive rim takes, due rebounds and sequences that helped OKC (45-19) pile it on Memphis (22-43). Giddey had 11 points in the quarter, finishing Sunday with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a couple steals.
"I just took what I had and what they gave me, and early on, it was at the rim and I was finding cuts and layups," Giddey said. "But it's not always going to be like that. Defenses are playing you in different ways."
Giddey knows that better than anyone. He's endured months of centers defending him, of defenses leaving him to practically shootaround in hopes of shutting off OKC's offensive water. He's braced himself through cold shooting nights, rough stretches of spacing, understanding angles and where to be.
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It culminated into as solid a week as Giddey has enjoyed since teams altered their approach against him, and he's still hoping to further mold into the player the Western Conference-leading Thunder needs him to be.
"We've got so many weapons all through our roster," Giddey said. "I think we're all adjusting, and hopefully it's at its peak in a month or two months from now."
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Mar 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) goes for a lay up in front of Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard (10) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Cason Wallace's next step
What more could Thunder coach Mark Daigneault ask of 20-year-old Wallace?
He entered this season among the league's most efficient 3-point shooters, with a long squat atop the standings as the most efficient. He's hounded guards with or without Lu Dort next to him. He's carried himself with the patience to make decisions in traffic, and the awareness to fit in immediately next to stars.
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Wallace has been a solid rotation player since Day 1. It might lead you to forget he's a rookie who still has room to improve.
His next step? Second-side creation and playmaking, a step up from some of the things he's already shown. It'll take moments where he has the ball in his hands — summer league, preseason, pockets of a game that dictate as much — but Daigneault is firm on where Wallace is headed.
With the way Sunday unfolded, Wallace got to demonstrate some flashes.
"If he weren't making good reads in those situations, we wouldn't be putting the ball in his hands like that, but he's kind of checking that box a little bit," Daigneault said.
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"And so he's intriguing with his playmaking. The thing that's most intriguing is you know, he's going to compete and so he's gonna get himself on the court, so you know that's a player that's going to be out there. And so it's worth the investment to give him the ball a little bit."
Wallace finished with four assists and had nine of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, taking eight shots while the starters kicked back. He got into some of everything.
Isolation on the wing, taking his defender all the way to the rim. Pick-and-rolls that saw him retreat into stepbacks. Stepback after stepback, glimpses of him breaking defenders down off the dribble.
For once, with such a large deficit, the fourth quarter was his. There was no need for Jalen Williams ' bat signal, just a prequel to what Wallace's further development will look like.
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"It's going to be a huge part of his summer, in the offseason, as he finishes his first year," Daigneault said. "He's going to have to be in those situations and get comfortable in those situations. … I was very impressed with him tonight in terms of the gas he played with and the balance he was able to play with despite having the ball in his hands that much."
More: Can Thunder make effective adjustments in playoffs? Don't rule out Mark Daigneault's mind
Thunder vs. Pacers
TIPOFF:7 p.m. Tuesday at Paycom Center (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder beats Memphis Grizzlies to stay in first place in the West
