The Oklahoma City Thunder opened their 2025 playoff campaign with a dominant 131-80 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, marking the largest Game 1 margin in NBA postseason history.
The 51-point victory ranks as the fifth-biggest blowout in playoff history and was fueled by a 20-0 second-quarter run that buried Memphis early.
Oklahoma City entered the postseason with the league’s best regular-season record at 68-14 and showed no signs of rust after the break.
Aaron Wiggins led the Thunder with 21 points off the bench, while Jalen Williams added 20 points and six assists on 10-for-16 shooting.
Chet Holmgren contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in just over 21 minutes, anchoring a frontcourt that outscored Memphis 66-34 in the paint.
Despite scoring just 15 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander facilitated the offense with five assists and helped set the tone defensively in a game that was effectively over by halftime.
The Thunder shot 50.5% from the field and made 17 of 48 three-pointers, while limiting the Grizzlies to just 34.4% shooting overall.
Ja Morant was the lone bright spot for Memphis, scoring 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting, but the rest of the starting unit combined for only 19 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with four points on 2-for-13 shooting, and Desmond Bane added just nine as the Grizzlies struggled to find any offensive rhythm.
The Thunder led 68-33 at the break and extended the margin to 102-60 after three quarters, setting the stage for a fourth quarter of extended garbage time.
Mark Daigneault’s team recorded 36 assists on 50 made field goals and had 12 players score, showcasing their depth and ball movement.
Memphis interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, who took over late in the regular season, suffered his first playoff loss after just nine NBA games at the helm.
The Grizzlies will look to regroup before Game 2 on Tuesday, while the Thunder aim to maintain their momentum in front of their home crowd.
Only four games in league history have featured a wider playoff margin, and none have started a series in such dominant fashion.
