OKLAHOMA CITY — With both teams playing their backups, the Oklahoma City Thunder collected their 40th win of the season in a 115-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
OKC finishes 40-42, a 16-win improvement from last year. That is a much better record than the general consensus suggested before the season.
This game marked the regular-season finale for both teams, which elected to sit their starters due to the Thunder being stuck with the 10th seed and the Grizzlies being stuck with the second seed.
The Thunder relied on their starting lineup this entire game as the only reserves Aaron Wiggins (eight minutes) and Lindy Waters III (12 minutes) played sporadic minutes. OKC’s starters averaged 44 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies only used six players in this game, each playing at least 33 minutes.
The Thunder used a 38-24 third-quarter advantage to flip a two-point halftime deficit into an eight-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, the Thunder used an 18-10 run to open up a game-high 20-point lead over the Grizzlies. OKC utilized the cushion to cruise the rest of the way for the relaxed win.
Overall, the Thunder outscored the Grizzlies, 68-51, in the second half to collect win No. 40.
Starting backcourt Jared Butler and Tre Mann took full advantage of the impromptu opportunity as they combined to score 49 points on 19-of-37 shooting, which included the latter collecting his first career triple-double.
“He’s a better player today than what he was a year ago,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about Mann. “Now the year hasn’t gone as well relative to his expectations for sure as it did last year but he’s definitely a better player than what he was a year ago.”
Meanwhile, this game brought back flashbacks of last year’s summer league as Kenny Lofton Jr. dominated with a career-high 42 points on 17-of-25 shooting and 14 rebounds. It’s been a nice weekend for the former G Leaguer, who signed a full-time NBA deal on Saturday.
2021 lottery pick Ziaire Williams also had a good showing with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting and nine assists.
Truthfully, not a ton of eyes paid attention to this game as it affected neither the Thunder nor the Grizzlies.
The more important game on the NBA schedule was the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game that tipped off at the same time. Thunder fans were likely glued to that game as it determined OKC’s play-in opponent.
The Pelicans lost, which means they will host the 10th-seeded Thunder in their play-in tournament game.
“We’re gonna treat it like another game,” Daigneault said about the Play-In. “We’re gonna put a gameplan out there. Make sure that our guys are really clear on it. We have two days to prepare… I’m excited to see what our best punch looks like in obviously a high-stakes game where there’s a lot of distraction and a lot of noise.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades for the regular-season finale.