The picture is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph from the match
Oklahoma City came into Friday without Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams, and it still led by 25 points before halftime and by 32 early in the third quarter while shooting 55 per cent from the floor.
A career night set up before halftime
The career high arrived in the least dramatic way possible. Mitchell took 20 shots for 35 points, found five assists and was on the floor for a plus-33 stretch as Oklahoma City pulled away.
Mitchell had been averaging 21.6 points across the five games before this one, and the Thunder's injury list has handed him a permanent share of the second-creator duties.
Oklahoma City was converting 69 per cent of its shots through the first half, including nine of 17 from three-point range, and it left the locker room 71-49 in front.
Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 28 on 11-of-22 shooting with four assists, three rebounds and a block after scoring 43 and 42 in Oklahoma City's two wins over Cleveland.
Jared McCain supplied 21 points from 9 of 14 and four steals, and the Thunder finished with 16 of 35 from three-point range at 46 per cent.
Eighteen turnovers and no answer
Memphis came in first in the NBA from three-point range and shot 5 of 26 in the first half, ending 10 of 45. The gap between those two facts is roughly the score.
Oklahoma City forced 18 turnovers and turned them into 30 points, and Memphis recorded no blocks on a night it shot 29 of 88 from the floor.
Ty Jerome led the Grizzlies with 21 points and five of five from the free-throw line; Zach Edey added 14 points on 3 of 7 shooting with eight free throws and four offensive rebounds.
This is now 16 consecutive wins against Memphis, a run that includes the four-game sweep in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
The rookie big men had the night's starkest contrast: Boozer 2 of 14 from the field and Post 0 of 7, together 18 of the Grizzlies' 59 misses.
The scoreboard after Friday
The Thunder improved to 7-2 and kept their home record intact at 4-0, while the Grizzlies dropped to 6-3 with a 2-3 mark at FedExForum.
Isaiah Hartenstein scored two points but delivered seven assists and finished plus-31, the highest rating on either side.
Memphis played without Isaiah Stewart and Scotty Pippen Jr., and the absence of a rim protector showed in the 62 points Oklahoma City scored in the paint.
Bennett Stirtz added 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting with two steals, and Alex Caruso finished with six rebounds and a plus-23 in 20 minutes off the bench.
Beyond that, Oklahoma City returns home for a Saturday game against Washington; Memphis goes to Toronto on Monday still looking for a first win against this opponent in two seasons.
Editor's take: The free-throw line was the only place Memphis stayed honest: 29 of 31. Everything else about the night was decided at the other end.
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