MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up a perfect shooting first quarter (7-for-7, 16 points), an aggressive free throw line (11-for-13), and a stepback straightaway game-winner to prevent Oklahoma City from falling behind like in Game 3 and complete a hard-fought sweep of the Grizzlies. The Thunder were able to accomplish the 4-0 result despite shooting a horrid x-for-xx behind the arc.

Gilgeous-Alexander (38 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals) had a great closeout game with Jalen Williams (23 points and 5 assists) battling alongside.

Rookie Scotty Pippen, Jr. (30 points and 11 rebounds) put up an impressive statline replacing Ja Morant in the starting line-up before fouling out with 61 seconds left. Santi Aldama (23 points and 9 rebounds) and Desmond Bane (23 points and 5 assists) capably competed tonight over the first 3+ quarters of action. Zach Edey (8 point, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks) also availed himself well against the vaunted OKC frontline before fouling out in crunch time, as well.

The teams started game 4 furiously putting up points and shooting lights out. Memphis staked itself to an early advantage behind Pippen, Jr’s earnest attempt to replicate Morant’s output. Jalen Williams played primary playmaker to start, but Gilgeous-Alexander excelled in seeking his own shot – starting 7-for-7. Caruso’s steal of a clumsy Jackson, Jr. post-up led to a Cason Wallace transition bucket. While Memphis avoided an expected flat start (after that implosion the other night), they still left the period down 31-34.

The second quarter devolved into a slugfest, and the combatants had trouble creating separation. Former Laker and Bull Alex Caruso and former Knick Isaiah Hartenstein were absolute nuisances on both ends and helped spell the Thunder starters. The teams stayed within 1-2 posessions of each other throughout the remainder of the half. The play was so compeitively tough that time stood still (i.e., the game clock started stuck at 2:58 for about 10 seconds). The referees also swallowed their whistles over the last minutes. Oklahoma City maintained a 60-59 advantage at the half.

Just as with the previous two quarters, the teams could not gain separation from each other. Gilgeous-Alexander carried the Thunder with his prodigious scoring skills, while Memphis continued to struggle cobbling together productive possessions. Jackson, Jr. tried at times to grab the mantle, and Pippen, Jr. attacked very fiercely, and their team could not close the gap enough. Memphis remained down 85-88 after three.

Observations

• From what I saw in this series, Luke Kennard, while a key contributor in the regular season, seemed to be played off the floor with his suspect defense.
• Jackson, Jr. is so foul prone – he’s far enough into his career where I don’t see him changing his ways much. His fifth foul only three minutes into the fourth was particularly egregious.
• Jalen Williams has such a lightning quick first step.
• Cleveland’s Game 3 destruction of Miami (by 37 points) managed to eke out the 36-point whipping San Antonio gave the Heat in the 2013 Finals Game 3. That was the Danny Green and Gary Neal game.
• Sequence of the Game #1: Anytime Gilgeous-Alexander had the ball in the first quarter and gathered himself to put up a shot (that went in).
• Sequence of the Game #2: Holmgren swatted away a Pippen, Jr. shot attempt late in the third, and drove it down the middle of the court before finding Aaron Wiggins filling the right lane for a lay-up.

Game Rundown

Pippen, Jr. willed home a banker and fed Santi Aldama for a wing three to get Memphis five quick points. Aldama knocked home his second three moments later, while Gilgeous-Alexander hit an impressive midrange jumper. Difficult layups by Pippen, Jr. and Bane over Chet Holmgren bumped the Grizzly lead to seven. Jalen Williams found success from 14-20 feet. The teams basically treated the first handful of minutes like a preseason tune-up and put up 36 total points halfway through. Harteinstein swallowed up several offensive rebounds for easy buckets, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s steal and transition lay-up trimmed the deficit to one. The teams traded blows, and the Thunder exited the first up three.

Off-season acquisitions Hartenstein and Caruso helped grow the OKC lead to start the second period. Jackson, Jr. and Bane scrapped and gritted their way to help the Grizzlies stay neck-and-neck with the Thunder. Edey picked up his third and fourth fouls – with the latter seeing the rookie swinging Chet Holmgren to the hardwood. Aldama’s fourth three put Memphis up two. Harteinstein’s lumbering lay-up and Gilgeous-Alexander’s freebies gave OKC a slight cushion heading into the break.

On consecutive possessions, the teams were whistled for illegal picks to start a very physical third quarter. A Gilgeous-Alexander and-1 put OKC up six. A similar sequence of offensive fouls broke out a minute later. Gilgeous-Alexander resumed his regular season scoring pace on a variety of productive drives. Memphis ran a number of ever-changing line-ups out to get some traction against the heavily-favored Thunder, but it was still OKC that led after three.