MEMPHIS — With a 2-0 lead, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault warned his team of the Memphis Grizzlies' resilience before Game 3 on Thursday. After Daigneault highlighted Cason Wallace's playoff impact thus far, he reminded his guys and the media of how the Grizzlies reached their first-round series in the first place. After losing to the Golden State Warriors, Memphis eliminated the Dallas Mavericks from playoff contention.

Daigneault saw a poised and efficient Grizzlies team in last week's win against the Mavericks and expects a similar approach in Game 3 on Thursday.

“I said it after the game, and I've said it to the team, I think last week, they lose to Golden State on the road as a tough loss. They come home with their backs against the wall against Dallas, and they're just really, really fast to start that game, especially,” Daigneault said. “And understanding that's their identity as a team, and under pressure, that's what they're going to lean on. And we have to just understand it's going to be a live crowd too for an energized team.

“They're going to try to play really fast, especially early on. And we got to be ready for that thrust,” Daigneault concluded.

Daigneault sees the Thunder's 51-point win against the Grizzlies in Game 1 as an outlier, the byproduct of a drained Memphis squad that faced a well-rested Oklahoma City squad.

“I thought we got lucky in Game 1 in some of them. There were a couple of plays that they got some really good looks, and just missed them,” Daigneault said. “Some of it is our ball protection on offense. We've been able to keep our turnovers low and get quality shots. Even in the last game, we didn't shoot the ball great. But we got good shots.”

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Daigneault warns Thunder of hostile Grizzlies environment

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Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is familiar with the Grizzlies' FedEx Forum. He's seen it give the Grizzlies a significant boost in the past as Daigneault warned his team ahead of Game 3.

“It's a great environment. We can't wait to play in this environment. This is the best time of year for this reason,” Daigneault said. “It'll be a live crowd and an energized team, and it's a great challenge for us.”

The Grizzlies will look to earn their first win of the series, while Daigneault and the Thunder will look to extend their advantage to 3-0.