The Memphis Grizzlies (44-28) conclude their five-game road trip with a matchup against the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder (60-12) on Thursday (8 ET, League Pass). OKC is riding a seven-game win streak as they attempt the 4-0 season series sweep over Memphis.
Five things to know before this Western Conference clash:
- Bane’s hot stretch: Desmond Bane has put together a productive month of March with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson, Jr. each missing some time with injuries. In those 12 games, Bane is averaging 22 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 34.4 minutes, with shooting splits of 47%/44.6%/90.7% this month. He’s scored 30-plus points in three outings, including a season-high 44 in a loss to Sacramento, and recorded the first triple-double of his career (35 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) on March 3.
- Pippen Jr. stepping up: Scotty Pippen Jr.’s role has increased with Morant missing the Grizzlies’ last five games because of a hamstring injury. He was instrumental in their win over Utah on Tuesday, which ended a three-game skid, as he posted 16 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and a steal in his second straight start. The third-year undrafted guard is averaging 13 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.5 apg and 2 spg in his last four games. He recorded two double-doubles in that stretch and extended his steals streak to a season-high 12 games in a row.
- Battle of top four teams in West: Oklahoma City (No. 1 seed) and Memphis (No. 4) meet for the final time in 2024-25. The Thunder are 3-0 vs. the Grizzlies, with an average margin of victory of 18 points in those contests. OKC has already clinched the conference with ten games remaining, but Memphis is locked in a tight battle in the middle of the standings. Only three games separate the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets from the Los Angeles Lakers, who are at No. 4 but have the same record as Memphis (44-28).
- OKC’s dominant season continues: After a 121-105 win over the Kings on Tuesday, the Thunder became the first team in the NBA to reach 60 wins. It was their seventh consecutive victory, marking the fifth win streak of at least seven games this season, and it extended their road win streak to 11. They have only lost twice in a row once (Nov. 17-19). The 60 wins are tied for the most in the Oklahoma City era with their 2012-13 squad, which finished 60-22.
- Gilgeous-Alexander in elite company: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 32 points vs. the Kings put him in elite company as he has scored 20 or more points in 65 consecutive games, passing the franchise mark set by Kevin Durant. Gilgeous-Alexander joins Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history with such a streak in a single season.
