The Oklahoma City Thunder will have a matchup Friday night against a team that nobody expected to be difficult when they travel to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Both teams have won six of their first eight games, but their narratives have been completely different. The Thunder have been decimated by injuries. They will be without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Jaylin Williams. Despite the injuries, Oklahoma City has still been winning games. They defeated the Cavaliers twice in back-to-back games heading into this matchup. The Grizzlies, led by Ty Jerome and Cam Boozer, have been the most surprising team to start this season. This team was projected to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference, but got off to a 6-0 start. They have lost their last two games against the Pelicans and Pacers, so they will be looking to get back on track.
We learned this last week that the Thunder’s hopes this season will not be sunk by their early season injuries. They will continue to win games with defensive pressure and turnover differential. It is very hard to beat an NBA team twice, and Oklahoma City managed to do just that against a Cavaliers team that is expected to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference. The former MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be asked to do even more on the offensive end. Right now, he is averaging 30.1 points per game, and he is taking a career high 7.4 threes per game. Defensively, the Thunder have only allowed 108.8 points per game, the eighth best mark in the NBA. Their ability to apply pressure against opposing ballhandlers will be key against a Grizzlies backcourt that has struggled taking care of the basketball. The Grizzlies are averaging 15.5 turnovers per game, the 12th worst in the NBA. Jerome has gotten off to an impressive scoring start, but if any coach and team can come up with a gameplan to slow him down, it is Mark Daignault and the Thunder.
Thunder vs Grizzlies preview: Thunder -3.5(-110) is available at the time of publishing. Playable at -5 (+115).
