The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a rough 131-80 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and it was an especially rough game for Desmond Bane, who posted a plus/minus of -51 in the contest.

Bane's plus/minus of -51 was the worst in a playoff game in the play by play era (since 1996-97), according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. The next three worst performances were from Klay Thompson (-45) in Game 5 against the Grizzlies in 2022, Andre Drummond (-45) in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019 and Draymond Green (-43) against the Thunder in Game 3 against the Thunder in 2016.

Looking at that list, it can happen to some of the best, and Bane is clearly a very good player in this league. The Thunder are a really tough matchup as well. Some thought that Oklahoma City tailed off at the end of the regular season and saw that as concerning, but this performance shows they are ready for the postseason.

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Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots a three point basket as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) defends during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center
Thunder veteran Lu Dort’s confident claim about big shots in Game 5 vs. Nuggets
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Luguentz Dort (5) hug after their team defeated the Denver Nuggets during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center with Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the background
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s powerful ‘clear as day’ Lu Dort statement
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate
Jalen Williams credits Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for inspiring Thunder in Game 5

Bane ended up scoring nine points in the game on 3-12 shooting and 0-4 from three. He added two rebounds as well. Along with that, the Thunder were able to score at will throughout the game, leading to that staggering plus/minus for him. Outside of Marvin Bagley III's 8-8 shooting performance off of the bench, there was basically nothing to write home about for the Grizzlies in this game.

This was likely expected to be the most lopsided first-round series in the NBA Playoffs, and while the Grizzlies fought hard against the Golden State Warriors and defeated the Dallas Mavericks in impressive fashion in the NBA Play-In Tournament, this is a different beast. For the Grizzlies to make this a competitive series, they will have to turn in some of their best efforts of the season. Game 2 will take place on Tuesday night before the series shifts to Memphis.