There will be a bit of star power missing from Sunday’s matchup between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the game still promises plenty of excitement as the top two teams in the Western Conference clash in Oklahoma City. This is the first of four meetings this season between these rivals.
The Thunder are on a remarkable run, having won 10 consecutive games, while the Grizzlies have secured back-to-back victories and won 14 of their last 17 games, placing them second in the conference.
Unfortunately, Memphis will be without Ja Morant, who suffered an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder during Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Morant, who is averaging 21.2 points and 7.9 assists in 20 games this season, missed most of last season due to a suspension and a labral tear in the same shoulder. The Grizzlies have managed an 8-4 record without Morant this season.
Sunday’s game marks the beginning of a challenging stretch for Memphis, as they will face teams currently in the top 10 of the Western Conference in nine of their next 11 games.
Both the Grizzlies and the Thunder lead the league in drives per game. Memphis averages 59.7 drives per game, fueled by Morant, while Oklahoma City averages 58.7, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s NBA-leading 21.4 drives per game.
The Grizzlies will need to improve their interior defense, an area where they struggled in their recent 132-124 win against the Pelicans. If they encounter the same issues against the Thunder, securing a victory will be much harder.
Oklahoma City has been without second-year center Chet Holmgren since early November and missed Alex Caruso, Luguentz Dort, and Cason Wallace in their 106-94 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Caruso is dealing with a hip strain, while Dort and Wallace are recovering from a right ankle sprain and quad contusion, respectively.
Sunday’s game kicks off a five-game homestand for the Thunder, who haven’t played back-to-back home games since mid-November. Oklahoma City’s current winning streak is their longest since January 2014 and is within two games of their longest streak since relocating to Oklahoma City in the 2008-09 season. Note that their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup title game doesn’t count toward the standings or the win streak.
Though the matchup was initially anticipated to feature two of the top point guards in the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to take the floor for the Thunder. He is averaging 32.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists during the win streak and trails only Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in the league’s scoring title race, with an average of 30.8 points per game.
