The Oklahoma City Thunder are back at home on Thursday night as they host the Memphis Grizzlies. This game kicks off a stretch of 6 out of 7 games at home, beginning with 4 straight over the next week.
The Thunder is 3-0 against the Grizzlies this season, but Memphis is fighting hard to move up in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, OKC has had the top spot locked up for a while. The Grizzlies have lost 3 out of their last 4, and OKC has won 7 straight, but it’s hard to predict what will happen when a team is desperate.
OKC doesn’t seem to have much to play for outside of pride, but that’s enough for this young squad that enters each game with 0-0 mentality. Memphis is missing Ja Morant, which is a big blow to their team in a lot of ways, primarily in what he does on the offensive end, but the Grizzlies have the league’s top-scoring offense, so they will try to get by without him. On the other side, Jaren Jackson Jr. is making a case for another Defensive Player of the Year award.
Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace are questionable for OKC tonight, and while it would be nice to see both guys back in action, there really is no rush considering where OKC sits in the standings. At this point, staying/getting healthy and continuing to play with chemistry and momentum should be the key headed into the postseason, and protecting home court tonight against the Grizzlies would be a great way to continue in that direction.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: Paycom Center
Television: Fanduel Sports TV – Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Memphis Grizzlies Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Luguentz Dort
- SF: Jalen Williams
- PF: Chet Holmgren
- C: Isaiah Hartenstein
Grizzlies
- PG: Scotty Pippen Jr.
- SG: Desmond Bane
- SF: Jaylen Wells
- PF: Santi Aldama
- C: Jaren Jackson Jr.
Injury Report
Thunder
- Ousmane Dieng (strained left calf) is OUT.
- Alex Ducas (strained right quad) is OUT.
- Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture) is AVAILABLE.
- Ajay Mitchell (right great toe surgery) is OUT.
- Nikola Topic (left knee surgery) is OUT.
- Cason Wallace (left knee contusion) is QUESTIONABLE.
- Aaron Wiggins (left Achilles tendinitis) is OUT.
- Jalen Williams (strained right hip) is QUESTIONABLE.
Grizzlies
- Marvin Bagley III (concussion protocol) is OUT.
- Brandon Clarke (PCL sprain in right knee) is OUT.
- GG Jackson (G League — on assignment) is OUT.
- Yuki Kawamura (G League — two-way) is OUT.
- Ja Morant (strained left hamstring) is OUT.
- Zyon Pullin (right patellar tendon surgery recovery) is OUT.
- Lamar Stevens (right shoulder bursitis) is QUESTIONABLE.
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder are 35-23 against the Grizzlies (21-9 at home, 13-14 on the road) in the regular season and 9-10 in the playoffs (6-5 at home, 3-5 on the road).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Grizzlies 9 times, lost it 6 times, and tied it once.
- The Thunder went 3-0 against the Grizzlies last season (2-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).
- So far this season, the Thunder is 3-0 against the Grizzlies (1-0 at home, 2-0 on the road).
- The Thunder has won 8 straight against the Grizzlies, including 5 straight in OKC.