This image is an AI-generated illustration rather than matchday photography
Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 35 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128-97 on Friday night in an NBA Cup group-stage game at FedExForum.
The first half that decided the game
Mitchell's line carried the night: 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting, four of seven from three-point range, five assists and a plus-33 rating in 30 minutes.
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.
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.
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.
Memphis's shot never arrives
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.
This is now 16 consecutive wins against Memphis, a run that includes the four-game sweep in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
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.
Rookie Cameron Boozer was held to eight points on 2 of 14 shooting although he collected 12 rebounds and four assists, and Quinten Post went scoreless in 15 minutes on 0 of 7.
Records, injuries and what comes next
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.
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.
Isaiah Hartenstein scored two points but delivered seven assists and finished plus-31, the highest rating on either side.
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.
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: Sixteen straight against one opponent is not a matchup problem any more. It is a stylistic answer Memphis has not found in two seasons.
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