Thunder Make NBA History With Record-Breaking Playoff Beatdown of Grizzlies
Wow, what an absolute statement from the Oklahoma City Thunder to tip off the 2025 NBA Playoffs. If there was any doubt about whether the top-seeded Thunder were playoff-ready, Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies slammed the door shut on that conversation — and then some.
This wasn't just a win. It was a beatdown of historic proportions. The Thunder demolished Memphis 131-80, marking a 51-point victory — the fifth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history , and the biggest ever in a Game 1. Let that sink in. That’s the kind of performance that echoes through the league and rattles every other playoff team.
From the very first quarter, OKC brought the energy. They raced out to a 32-20 lead, but it was the second quarter that really told the story. The Thunder went nuclear, outscoring the Grizzlies 36-16 and building a 68-36 halftime lead . That 35-point second-quarter lead was the third-largest in the first half of any playoff game since detailed tracking began in 1996. The only bigger ones? Both led by a guy named LeBron James. Yeah, that’s the tier we’re talking about.
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What’s even crazier is that their MVP frontrunner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, had a rare off-night — just 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting. And they still won by 51. That tells you how deep and locked in this squad is. This wasn’t about a superstar going off; this was a team effort on both ends of the floor. Aaron Wiggins led the scoring with 21 points off the bench, and six players finished in double figures.
The defense? Just as ferocious. OKC held the Grizzlies to 34.4% shooting , including a brutal 6-of-34 from three-point range. They forced 22 turnovers and made life miserable for Memphis stars like Desmond Bane and Ja Morant. Bane ended up with a minus-51 in the plus-minus column — reportedly the worst in any playoff game this century. That stat alone tells you everything about how lopsided this game was.
And remember, this is just Game 1. Memphis pulled their starters in the fourth quarter to try and stop the bleeding, but the Thunder’s bench kept pouring it on, extending the lead to as much as 56 points before easing up. It felt like a high school varsity squad playing against JV — only this was the NBA Playoffs .
Oklahoma City entered this postseason with the league’s best record at 68-14 , and the best point differential in NBA history. But there were still whispers about their lack of playoff experience. Safe to say those whispers are gone now. This team just sent a warning shot to the entire league: the Thunder aren’t just good — they’re scary good.
Game 2 is coming up fast, and all eyes will be on whether Memphis can even respond — or if OKC is about to run away with this series just as easily as they did the regular season.
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