OKC Thunder: 3 takeaways in fourth-quarter collapse to Grizzlies
By Ryan Lewis
Less than 24 hours after hosting the Portland Trail Blazers in a grueling loss, the OKC Thunder were back on the court, only this time, it was in Memphis, Tennessee, against the Grizzlies.
The downside to such a quick turnaround is player fatigue. If that was a problem for the Thunder, they didn’t show it as they battled the Grizzlies for most of the night before fading away in the fourth quarter of a 122-113 loss.
On the plus side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the court after a four-game absence, and he picked up right where he left off, putting up 22 points on 42.9 percent shooting, six assists and three rebounds.
Gilgeous-Alexander looked fresh and unaffected by his recent knee issues, coming in hot with 10 first-quarter points that helped the Thunder hang on to a 31-30 first-quarter advantage.
The Grizzlies went on to play the Thunder close for much of the game before finally grabbing a lead they wouldn’t lose early in the fourth quarter and riding it to victory.
Led by Gilgeous-Alexander’s 22 points, all Thunder starters posted double-digit scoring nights. Darius Bazley scoring 18 on 50 percent shooting, Theo Maledon scoring 14 on 57.1 percent shooting, Luguentz Dort adding 11 on 20 percent shooting and Isaiah Roby putting up 10 on 44 percent shooting. Mike Muscala came off the bench to pour in 21 on 5-of-9 shooting from deep.
Muscala’s resurgence leads TI’s 3 takeaways.
OKC Thunder takeaway No. 1) Muscala bounces back in Memphis
The OKC Thunder have missed the sharpshooting capabilities of Muscala in recent weeks. His shot has been off, which in turn takes away a significant scoring threat from the Thunder.
But that wasn’t a problem on Wednesday against the Grizzlies.
Muscala didn’t have a perfect game, but he came pretty close, missing just four of his 11 total shots. He hit a staggering 55 percent from beyond the arc to finish the game with 21 points. For comparison, Muscala was a combined 3-for-16 from deep through his previous four games.
Against the Grizzlies, Muscala returned to late-January form, where he was shooting and converting at a high rate, which is right where the OKC Thunder need him.
When Muscala is finding success with his shot, the Thunder, as a whole, are better. He pulls defenders to the perimeter, opening lanes for slashers like Dort and Diallo. In turn, those same players help Muscala when they pull the defenders back in on a drive only to kick it back out to Muscala for a nearly automatic 3-pointer.