Memphis Grizzlies To Take On Oklahoma City Thunder In 2025 NBA Playoffs

The Memphis Grizzlies get set to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on Sunday afternoon. The Grizzlies-Thunder game will be broadcast on ABC at noon Central. The Grizzlies are the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, while the Thunder are the No. 1 seed. The Grizzlies might have a tough task to defeat and perhaps eliminate the Thunder, but anything could happen in the best-of-seven series. Read on for further details surrounding the upcoming showdown between the Western Conference foes.

Memphis Grizzlies-Oklahoma City Thunder Rewind

The Memphis Grizzles climbed the mountain to advance to the first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Previously, Memphis dropped a 121-116 decision to the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Tuesday and bounced back with a 120-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the FedExForum on Friday.

Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Ja Morant combined for 68 points to lead the Grizzlies to a win over the Mavericks at home. The Grizzlies’ win ended the Mavericks’ season. It was a disappointment for the Mavericks, who tried to become the NBA’s first No. 10 seed to advance to the playoffs since the implementation of the Play-In Tournament in 2021.

The Grizzlies eliminated the Mavericks, but some Mavericks fans stuck with the team until the bitter end. Two watch parties were held in The Colony, Texas, but one thing was clear: Tese Mavericks fans showed the public the amount of positive energy still supporting the team outweighed the negative, even if the naysayers sounded more vocal than the rest.

The Oklahoma City Thunder earned much-needed time off after finishing the regular season with a 115-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center last Sunday. Aaron Wiggins led the Thunder with 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Antonio Reeves led the Pelicans with 20 points and 6 rebounds. After the game, Oklahoma City unveiled a variety of fan experiences for the playoffs, such as the Thunder UP in the Park.

Grizzlies- Thunder Keys

The Memphis Grizzlies will enter Sunday’s game as underdogs. The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated in the regular season and can continue to dominate. They are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. OKC the Grizzlies in the regular season series with double-digit wins. The Grizzlies are short-handed but can benefit from the Thunder’s lack of playoff experience.

The Thunder might want to expect a chess match on the interior with the Grizzlies, despite having a knack for handing blowouts to short-handed teams like the Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks. The Grizzlies can respond to the Thunder with strong efforts from Jackson Jr. on Chet Holmgren and Zach Edey on Isaiah Hartenstein. They also need their bench to match a deep Thunder squad.

Final Thoughts

The Memphis Grizzlies can pull off an upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies rank second in free throws attempted per game with 23.3 and second in fouls drawn per game with 20.3. The Thunder rank 26th and 23rd, respectively. The Thunder’s defense is stellar but must go above and beyond to limit free points to the Grizzlies. The Thunder also need to capitalize on the Grizzlies’ turnovers for wins.