Thunder vs. Grizzlies: Five takeaways from OKC's loss to Ja Morant, Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thunder players are going to hear Mark Daigneault in their sleep.
“Run, run, run!” Daigneault shouted time and again after a Thunder defensive rebound.
But it was the Grizzlies who did the running. The Thunder ran out of gas.
Memphis beat Oklahoma City 121-110 on Friday night at FedExForum. It was the final stop of the Thunder’s four-game road trip, and OKC’s fourth game in six nights.
The Thunder, which plays as fast as any team in the league, was outscored 30-6 in fast-break points.
Was fatigue to blame?
“I hope not,” Daigneault said. “Our minutes were low. I tried to keep fresh legs out there.”
The Grizzlies sprinted to a 14-2 lead, and while the Thunder crept within a point, Memphis never trailed.
“You’ve got to start the game better than that, because we played them even the rest of the night,” Daigneault said.
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The Thunder, down 106-100 with three minutes left, was granted an advantage when Grizzlies star Ja Morant sprained his ankle and couldn’t get back on defense.
The five-on-four Thunder possession ended in a Josh Giddey missed 3-pointer.
Memphis called timeout and Morant slunk to the floor in front of the scorer’s table.
The uncertainty of Morant’s health was a dark cloud looming over Memphis’ win.
On the other hand, Memphis power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. was dominant in just his second game, and his first home game, of the season.
Jackson, freshly recovered from offseason foot surgery, scored a game-high 25 points with 12 rebounds and three blocks.
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Shai vs. Ja
A showdown between two of the best guards in the league ended in a letdown.
Morant had 19 points and 11 assists before exiting, but he was just 5-of-20 from the floor.
Gilgeous-Alexander was held to a season-low 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting. The Grizzlies swarmed Gilgeous-Alexander in the paint, where SGA shot just 2-of-9.
SGA looked tired, but said he didn’t feel tired.
“Not really,” he said. “I just feel like I missed a lot of shots that I usually make.”
The Thunder’s young guards stepped up.
Giddey had 20 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. He was 0-of-4 from 3-point range but an efficient 10-of-16 from inside the arc. Giddey played a team-high 37 minutes.
Jalen Williams had a career-high 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting. The rookie from Santa Clara also had seven assists and six rebounds.
“Love playing with him,” Giddey said. “He’s a great guy.”
Williams is still adjusting to NBA life.
“What are we, 16 games in?” Williams asked. “I think we played 31 in college.
“As long as I get my naps in on the road I’m pretty solid.”
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Poku exits
A Ja Morant fast break is a scary thing. Especially if you’re in the position Aleksej Pokusevski was Friday night.
Poku was the only Thunder between Morant and the rim, but Poku didn’t panic. He forced Morant into a tough layup, which Poku swatted.
Pokusevski had three blocks in the first quarter, showing terrific timing on his jumps.
He was also in rhythm offensively, with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a couple of 3-pointers.
Poku’s night ended early, though. He sprained his left ankle late in the second quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
He appeared to be in significant pain, limping right past the Thunder’s bench and through a tunnel to the Thunder’s locker room.
It’s the same left ankle that Pokusevski injured but came back from in the Boston game.
The Thunder is off on Saturday and will practice Sunday, so expect an update on Pokusevski then.
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Free-throw discrepancy
The fastbreak discrepancy was big. The free-throw discrepancy was bigger.
Memphis attempted 40 free throws to the Thunder’s 11.
Morant was 9-of-10 from the line. Jackson was 8-of-11.
Gilgeous-Alexander attempted just one free throw.
“They didn’t foul him,” Daigneault said. “Well, he didn’t get to the line. They might’ve fouled him a little bit.”
Daigneault didn’t blame the referees in his postgame press conference, but he wasn’t happy with how they handled Morant vs. Gilgeous-Alexander.
"I just want the same thing down here for Gilgeous-Alexander," Daigneault said to an official after the Thunder fouled Morant. "(Shai’s) got a black eye, he's got a concussion."
An exaggeration, to be sure, but Daigneault made his point.
The Thunder committed 28 fouls. The Grizzlies just 13.
“Fouling has been a problem for us lately,” Daigneault said. “That’s something we have to look at.”
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Thunder tip-ins
• Darius Bazley (right ankle sprain) and Tre Mann (lower back soreness) missed their fifth and third games in a row.
• Isaiah Joe (right knee soreness) was added to the injury report Friday. He was out against the Grizzlies.
• Thunder big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was a team-best plus-13 in his 28 minutes off the bench. Robinson-Earl had 14 points and seven rebounds. “He did the best job on (Jaren) Jackson all night,” Daigneault said.
• Lindy Waters III was the second man off the Thunder’s bench. Waters was 2-of-8 from 3-point range.
• The opening tip-off was between Aleksej Pokusevski and Steven Adams. Present meets past.
• Pokusevski committed a rare lane violation in the first quarter.
• It was a homecoming for Thunder TV analyst Michael Cage, who’s from across the river in West Memphis, Arkansas.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant beat OKC Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
