The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a chase to win an NBA championship, and it all starts with their first-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. It looks like the Thunder are trying to send a statement, and the first half of Game 1 was becoming a blowout before the Grizzlies could even get settled in.

The Thunder led 51-22 at one point in the first half, and they were on a 30-5 run as well. Some would think that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the reason for the run, but it was Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein who led the way for the Thunder, as they had 14 points each going into halftime, and had their largest halftime lead in Thunder franchise history in the playoffs.

The Thunder held the Grizzlies to just 16 points in the second quarter, and they weren't able to hold them on the other side of the ball as well. Other players got it going for the Thunder, as well as Cason Wallace, who got a big dunk to go running the break.

Related Oklahoma City Thunder NewsArticle continues below
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

This is definitely not the way the Grizzlies wanted to start the series, and at this point, they're just hoping that they can find some momentum going into the next game. The Thunder have shown all season that they can go on big runs and have the opposing team searching for answers, and that's what they did in the first half.

The Thunder are favorites to come out of the Western Conference, and it's because of the things that they're already doing in Game 1 of the playoffs. Some have looked at the inexperience of the Thunder and said that they're not ready to make a deep playoff run, but it's hard to deny what they've done this season and say that.

If the Thunder continue to dominate like this throughout this series and maybe down the line in the playoffs, it might be time to take them series.