Analyzing OKC Thunder's Success vs. Grizzlies, Mavericks in Regular Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder are anticipating its next opponent as the team awaits the first round of the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs.

It's down to two teams; the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. Two teams with nasty tastes in their mouths and playoff history with the Thunder, it's sure to be an impactful and gritty matchup to open what will be a postseason gauntlet for this highly touted Oklahoma City team.

But the Thunder has to have its sights set on not just this series, but Game 1 of the first round itself. Game by game, maintaining consistency and putting out a disciplined product on the floor each night is imperative in a seven-game playoff series where anything can happen.

As every Thunder fan knows, the Mavericks knocked off Oklahoma City last year in the second round of the playoffs, as Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic and its interior size was too much for last season's Thunder team to handle.

On the Grizzlies' side, Memphis has not played Oklahoma City in the postseason since 2014, but the three series played from 2011-2014 were always heated and full of electric matchups each contest. The Thunder won the series in 2011 and 2014, while falling to the Grizzlies just in 2013.

It'll be interesting to see who Oklahoma City will await, but let's take a glimpse at how the Thunder has fared versus these teams in the 2024-25 regular season.

Dallas first, Oklahoma City could not get over its hump against this team from a year ago in this year's regular season, dropping the season series 3-1. In these games, Dallas averaged 113 points per game while shooting at a near 50% clip from the field and 41.5% from deep, showcasing efficiency similar to its playoff series in 2023-24.

On the Thunder's side, the team fared well offensively in these contests, but its defense could not keep up with Dallas' offensive firepower when they held Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the floor.

If Oklahoma City was to match up with Dallas in the first round, these games would look drastically different since Doncic's departure the Los Angeles Lakers and Irving's torn ACL injury.

On to Memphis, the Thunder sweeped the Grizzlies in this series of four games this season. Averaging an astounding 125 points a game, Oklahoma City's 48.1% shooting from the field and 39.2% from three paired with a plus-six turnover differential was the difference maker in these victories.

The Grizzlies were held to a minimum offensively while the Thunder turned it up themselves with the ball in its players' hands.

Oklahoma City will have the upper hand in either of these matchups as the team awaits its first-round opponent, but neither of these squads should be slighted as they hold a slew of talent primed for the postseason.