Sunday night, the OKC Thunder played host to the Memphis Grizzlies and, after 48 minutes of action, things played out exactly how a number one seed playing a number 13 seed is generally expected to.
From the shooting discrepancy (52.7 percent compared to 41.0 percent) to their defensive efforts that held coach Taylor Jenkins' club under the century mark for the 16 time this season, Oklahoma City trounced their slumping visitors by a final score of 124-93 and, in turn, nabbed their 45 win on the season as well as a one-game edge over the T-Wolves for the top spot in the west.
Of course, despite what their wildly different records, from the jump the Thunder seemed to take this injury-ravaged Grizzlies squad as seriously of a threat as any other team in the association and, as Josh Giddey alluded to during his post-game presser, that proved to be a major key toward ultimately winning.
Josh Giddey says Thunder viewed injured Grizzlies like any other club
"It's important to not take a team lightly like that. Undermanned [but] they've got guys that are fighting for contracts, fighting for minutes and that's a dangerous team to play. I thought we did a good job of playing the game not the opponent. [We] came out the right way, got off to a good lead and kind of maintained that for the rest of the night."Josh Giddey
Giddey goes up strong 💪 pic.twitter.com/mnlLtls9XR
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 10, 2024
On the night, Giddey proved to be one of the main initiators of the contest, as he pushed the pace often to help set the tone early.
In the first quarter alone he was directly responsible for 16 (including points and assists) of the team's 38 points and, after playing just shy of 20 minutes on the night, he finished the game with his first double-double since early January, wrapping with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 46.7 percent from the floor.
Though amid a turbulent season, nights like these are prime examples of just how impactful a locked-in Giddey can be for this title-hungry Thunder team.
Hopefully he can continue on with his recent uptick in production as OKC inches their way toward the playoffs.