Gilgeous-Alexander, No. 1 seed Thunder look to take another action
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)– Two years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder were a feelgood story– a young group that improved significantly and sped up basic supervisor Sam Presti’s restore by reaching the Play-In Tournament.Last season, Oklahoma
City made the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and Mark Daigneault was the Coach of the Year. That Thunder squad lost to Dallas in the conference semifinals, however it wasn’t a cause for alarm because the squad showed up on the phase early.Advertisement This year seems different. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the runner-up in the MVP race last season, is once again a prospect for the honor after topping the league with 32.7 points per game. He led the Thunder to a 68-14 record– one of the best routine seasons of all-time. With all that success, fans are demanding a champion as the Thunder open this year’s playoffs in the house Sunday versus the Memphis Grizzlies.Gilgeous-Alexander stated that while the Thunder do not fret
about outdoors expectations, they have actually worked hard and are well-positioned to succeed. He said the group sees opportunity rather than pressure.”I believe guys on the team are as positive as they’ve ever been, as delighted as they’ve ever been, “Gilgeous-Alexander stated.” And that’s all you can request for.”Memphis counters with Ja Morant. He averages 23.2 points and 7.3 helps. Jaren Jackson Jr. averages 22.2 points and Desmond Bane chips in 19.2. Ad The Thunder not only swept Memphis, taking each of the 4 games this season by double digits, but the closest the Grizzlies
got was a 13-point loss in the teams’second meeting. “A huge obstacle, “Morant said.” Obviously, we have actually all seen them over this season. A really well-rounded group. I feel like they have a potential MVP in Shai over there that’s leading the charge. We just need to be extremely sound defensively, really disciplined and just play our type of basketball, man. “Familiar scenario Oklahoma City had to wait up until Friday to learn its playoff challenger, however the Thunder remained in the exact same boat in 2015 because they earned the front runner. The Thunder ended up sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans 4-0 in the very first round.Advertisement Daigneault said the team gained from last season’s experience. He likewise said it was a benefit that they clinched the No. 1 seed a long time earlier, which assisted them start preparation for
the possible play-in groups early.Daigneault stated it assists that his players learn and change quickly.”I do not know if we’re all set for everything, but we’re all set for a lot, “he said.Not just Shai Oklahoma City has a 2nd All-Star in Jalen Williams and a 3rd with All-Star skill in Chet Holmgren.Williams averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1
assists as a strong 2nd option.Holmgren can do everything. On offense, he’s a threat in the paint and beyond
the 3-point line. On defense, he is an elite rim protector who can change quickly onto guards. He balanced 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks.Advertisement The
Thunder lost Holmgren for 50 games and Williams for 13, yet had the league’s finest record. That’s since they boast a deep roster that Daigneault manages well. They have seven players who balance double figures and 14 players who balanced at least 10 minutes in a minimum of 32 games this season.Defensive stoppers Oklahoma City has numerous of the league’s finest
boundary defenders. Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are the headliners on an unit that led the league in defensive rating.Williams wore a Tee shirts at practice on Wednesday declaring Dort needs to be Protective Player of the Year. Caruso, gotten in an offseason trade with Chicago, was first-team All-Defense in 2023 and a second-team selection last season.Advertisement Neither of them lead the team in takes. That honor goes to second-year guard Cason Wallace, who ranks third in the league with 1.8 takes per game. Gilgeous-Alexander is close behind
with 1.7 and Williams averages 1.6. They’ll be challenged. The Grizzlies enter into the series as the NBA’s second-best scoring team with 121.7 points per game. Still, that typical dipped to 106.3 versus Oklahoma City during the regular season.History repeats?The Grizzlies became the
first No. 8 seed
to beat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series back in 2011, when Memphis ousted the San Antonio Spurs in six games. Now, Memphis can try to add some more history. How? No franchise has actually been a No. 8 seed and knocked out a conference’s front runner twice in the NBA.Advertisement Simply beating a No. 1 seed has been challenging with Memphis among only six franchises to manage that accomplishment. Denver did it in 1994 versus Seattle and the New York City Knicks in 1999 against Miami– back when the preliminary was 5
games. Golden State beat Dallas in 2007, Memphis topped San Antonio in 2011, Philadelphia beat Chicago in 2012 and Miami beat Milwaukee in 2023. If Memphis does it this time, it will be extra excellent. The Grizzlies fired coach Taylor Jenkins late in the season and get in the playoffs with interim coach in Tuomas Iisalo
, who has no NBA playoff head coaching experience, leading the way.Injury problems Morant played through a sprained right ankle Friday night in the play-in game to clinch the 8th and final seed in the Western Conference.Advertisement Still, the Grizzlies will lack two crucial players. Novice Jaylen Wells broke his right wrist April 9 in a win at Charlotte, where he was taken off the court on a stretcher. A second-round draft select of Washington State, Wells began 74
of 79 games for Memphis.The Grizzlies also lost key reserve Brandon Clarke to a sprained right knee March 19 in a loss at Portland. ___ AP Sports Author Teresa M. Walker added to this report. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba