OKLAHOMA City Thunder rode on a massive second quarter breakaway to defeat Memphis Grizzlies, 131-80, in Game 1 of the 2024-25 NBA Western Conference first round series on Sunday night (Monday in the Philippines) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Aaron Wiggins scored 21 points off the bench, including four three-point conversions, and Jalen Williams added 20 markers, six assists, and five rebounds as the Thunder took a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven series.
Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds, leading MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 15 and Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for top-seed OKC.
Oklahoma City started the second quarter with a 23-2 run, scoring on 10 consecutive possessions, establishing a huge 68-36 lead at the half courtesy of late triple by Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder went on with their dominance in the second half as final margin reached 51 points, which was the fifth-largest in NBA playoff history and the largest in the first game of a playoff series.
Ja Morant and Marvin Bagley III led the way with 17 points each, while Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. struggled with nine and four points, respectively, for the No. 8 seed Grizzlies.
Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors held off Houston Rockets’ fourth quarter uprising to score an 95-85 victory in Game 1 of their West first round series at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Stephen Curry ignited the offense with 31 points, including five three-point conversions, while Jimmy Butler III and Brandin Podziemski added 25 and 14 markers, respectively.
In the Eastern Conference, Derrick White made seven three-point attempts and scored a team-high 30 points as the defending champions Boston Celtics took a 103-86 Game 1 victory over Orlando Magic.
Leading Sixth Man of the Year candidate Payton Pritchard chipped in 19 markers off the bench, Jayson Tatum added 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jaylen Brown finished with 16 points for the No. 2 seed Boston.
Top-seed Cleveland Cavaliers prevailed over Miami Heat, 121-100, to start their first round series. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 30 points, five rebounds, and four assists./PN
