The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1 of their playoff series with a 51-point margin of victory, the fifth-largest in NBA postseason history. Despite star player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring below his average, the Thunder still shot over 50% from the field. This win showcased Oklahoma City’s dominance as the overall No. 1 seed with a league-best regular season record of 68-14. Memphis struggled with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. both scoring below their regular season averages, leading to a shooting percentage of just 34.4% for the Grizzlies. This game marked Memphis’ first playoff game under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo. Previous NBA playoff games with similar large margins of victory include the Denver Nuggets beating the New Orleans Pelicans by 58 points in 2009 and the Minneapolis Lakers beating the St. Louis Hawks by 58 in 1956. Other notable blowouts in playoff history include the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Golden State Warriors by 56 points in 1973 and the Chicago Bulls beating the Milwaukee Bucks by 54 points in 2015. The Thunder led by a whopping 35 points at halftime and now hold a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday.
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