The OKC Thunder picked up a win in their final regular season game of 2023 against the Memphis Grizzlies, 115-110.
With it being the last game before the play-in tournament and the 10 seed locked in, the OKC Thunder decided not to play any starters. Oklahoma City was without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Luguentz Dort, Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe, and Dario Saric.
However, the bench unit stepped up with a larger role today.
Tre Mann and Ousmane Dieng have career games in OKC Thunder win over Memphis
In the best game of his career, Tre Mann dropped a 24-point triple-double, including 12 assists and 12 rebounds. The guard played basically the entire game with 47 minutes total, so he had plenty of opportunity to create shots for himself and his teammates.
Rookie Ousmane Dieng nearly had a triple-double, scoring 22 points to pair with eight rebounds and nine assists. He also picked up a steal and a block. It is encouraging to see Dieng play so well without any pressure in 45 minutes of action, and he will certainly play a larger role on the team next season.
Jared Butler had his best game as a member of the Thunder, as he scored 25 points on 10-21 shooting. Butler only combined for 12 minutes played in OKC’s last 3 games, so it was nice to see the former Jazz guard get some extended playing time.
The third-string center Oliver Sarr was given a starting role against Memphis, and he played an impressive game. The 7 footer had 22 points and 15 rebounds, looking dominant in the paint and on the glass.
Ultimately the game came down to who the best shooting team was, in which the Thunder were today.
Oklahoma City shot 12-36 from deep, and while not good, it was better than Memphis’ 7-37 performance.
The game was fairly back and forth for most of the time, but the 3rd quarter shifted in OKC’s favor. An 8-0 run without about 4 minutes left sparked the Thunder to outscore the Grizzlies 38-24 in the quarter, which Memphis could never fully recover from.
After the surprising success of this 2023 Oklahoma City Thunder team, they finished the season with a 40-42 record with this win and a 10 seed in the play-in tournament. Oklahoma City will play the 9 seed New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday.