The OKC Thunder completed a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
OKC escaped with a 117-115 road win over Memphis in Game 4 of the first-round NBA playoff series. It’ll now advance to the Western Conference semifinals, where it’ll face either the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped OKC start and finish strong
Zach Edey was at the mercy of an apex predator.
The 7-foot-4 center found himself alone on the perimeter with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander early in the first quarter. And as Gilgeous-Alexander rocked the ball side to side, planning his attack, all Edey could do was slowly retreat.
It only took three dribbles and a stepback for Gilgeous-Alexander to free up some space, and he drilled a mid-range jumper over his helpless defender.
Edey wasn’t the only one at Gilgeous-Alexander’s mercy early on. The superstar guard erupted for 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the field in the first quarter to give OKC a 34-31 lead.
And after getting off to a hot start, Gilgeous-Alexander also finished strong. He sank another stepback shot with 11.1 seconds left in the contest to extend OKC’s lead to 116-111, and that proved to be the dagger.
Gilgeous-Alexander ended the day with a game-high 38 points on 13-for-24 shooting from the field (54.1%). He also recorded six assists and five rebounds.
Thunder attacked the rim amid 3-point struggles
Chet Holmgren is more than capable of knocking it down from deep.
But as the big man came off of a screen midway through the second quarter and caught a pass on the perimeter, he opted not to let it fly. Instead, Holmgren attacked the rim and euro-stepped around a defender for a two-handed slam.
OKC found far more success from close range Saturday. The Thunder went 34 for 59 on 2-pointers (57.6%) and just 7 for 35 (20%) on 3-pointers.
Jalen Williams stepped up once again
When Jalen Williams is driving, defenders become bugs in the windshield.
Scotty Pippen Jr. learned that the hard way in the fourth quarter when he attempted to cut off OKC’s All-Star forward on a fastbreak. Williams brushed the undersized defender off with ease, sending him flying, before he stopped on a dime for a 3-pointer that found the bottom of the net.
The bucket gave the Thunder a 10-point lead with 5:44 remaining, and it ultimately secured the win to complete the series sweep. Williams finished with 23 points on 10-for-21 shooting from the field (47.6%).
Williams was OKC’s most consistent scorer throughout the series. He averaged 23.3 points per game, and he scored at least 20 points in each contest.
Memphis didn’t have Ja Morant, who suffered a left hip contusion in Game 3, but it still battled with its season on the line.
Pippen led the charge as the Grizzlies’ lead ball handler in the absence of Morant. He tied for a career-high 30 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Santi Aldama also shined in his first start of the series. He recorded 23 points and nine rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough for the Grizzlies, who fell short in heartbreaking fashion on their home floor. Desmond Bane intentionally missed a free throw with hopes of getting a putback as Memphis trailed 117-115 with 0.2 seconds remaining, and time expired.
With the win, the Thunder now advances to the Western Conference semifinals for the second straight season.
OKC will face the winner of the No. 4-seeded Denver Nuggets and the No. 5-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers held a 2-1 lead in that series heading into Saturday night’s Game 4.
OKC split its four-game series against Denver in the regular season. It won all four of its meetings against Los Angeles.