Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Memphis Grizzlies' grit-and-grind style was on full display in a 100-92 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at the FedExForum.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with a strong all-around effort, scoring 19 points, grabbing six rebounds, dishing out five assists, swatting three shots and swiping two steals. He was the basketball version of a Renaissance man.
Oklahoma City was led by Gasol's matchup, Enes Kanter. The recently acquired big man went for 24 points and 17 rebounds.
Aside from Kanter, the Thunder really couldn't find a rhythm on offense. The Grizzlies' team defense was in playoff form, locking down driving lanes and rotating to shooters in an instant.
| Memphis Grizzlies | Grades |
| Marc Gasol | A |
| Zach Randolph | B |
| Mike Conley | B |
| Jeff Green | A |
| Courtney Lee | B- |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Grades |
| Russell Westbrook | C+ |
| Enes Kanter | A |
| Steven Adams | C+ |
| Dion Waiters | D |
| Rest of Team | C |
Memphis Grizzlies
Marc Gasol: A
Gasol set the table for the Grizzlies on both ends all game.
Memphis often ran its offense through Gasol at the high- to mid-post on most of the possessions he was on the floor. He finished with five assists, showing his ability to see over any matchup and deliver on-time, on-target passes.
On the other end, Gasol wasn't spectacular in one-on-one situations with Kanter, but did a good job of orchestrating the team defense from the middle. He could be seen directing traffic and making timely rotations that led to three blocks.
Zach Randolph didn't fill the box score in quite the way he has in other games this season, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds, but he still showed some of the great chemistry with Gasol that has made the Grizzlies so hard to defend inside.
On one sequence in the fourth quarter, the ball was entered to Gasol in the low post, where he patiently waited for a double team. As soon as it got there, Randolph made his way to Gasol's line of sight, caught a sharp pass and nailed a three that put Memphis up nine with just under five minutes to play.
Defensively, Randolph wasn't really tested much, as coach Dave Joerger had him on the defensive-minded Steven Adams most of the night. He did a solid job of keeping the ever-hustling Adams off the boards, though.
Mike Conley: B
The unenviable task of staying with Russell Westbrook went to Mike Conley for much of the night, and the Grizzlies' point guard held up well.
Conley struggled with his own offense, going 3-of-11 from the field, but was a big part of the effort that held Westbrook to 5-of-20 shooting on the other end of the floor.
Conley finished with 13 points and seven assists.
Jeff Green: A
This has to be the kind of performance Memphis imagined getting from Jeff Green when it brought him over from the Boston Celtics.
He dropped a team-high 22 points and scored in a variety of ways. He was 2-of-5 from three-point range, but also showed an ability to get to the paint and draw fouls, going 6-of-8 from the line.
As nice as the scoring was, it was Green's defense that may have been most impressive. He covered Westbrook several times, bothering him with his length.
Courtney Lee: B-
Courtney Lee's primary function on offense is to space the floor, something he struggled with in a 5-of-13 shooting performance.
He was solid on the other end, however, checking Westbrook a few times and helping to hold Dion Waiters to a 3-of-11 shooting performance.
Rest of Team: B
Nick Calathes came off of the bench to reach double figures, scoring 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting. He fouled out in his efforts to contain Westbrook, though.
Backup big man Kosta Koufos also contributed off the bench, grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds and blocking one shot.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook: C+
The pedal-through-the-metal style of Westbrook has generally served him well during Kevin Durant's absence, but didn't pose a ton of problems for the Grizzlies.
Most of Westbrook's drives were crowded with two or three players jumping into the lane. He showed a willingness to pass on a few of the drives, as evidenced by his seven assists, but he still forced several bad shots.
He finished the game with 18 points, but there aren't many starting point guards who can't get there with 20 shots.
Enes Kanter: A
The typical and easy knock on Kanter is that he's an absolute nightmare on defense, and that proved true again. He was a minus-five in his 34 minutes, while backup Mitch McGary was plus-three.
But 24 and 17 is a monster double-double, and it's pretty hard to imagine Oklahoma City being in this game without Kanter's offense.
Steven Adams: C+
Steven Adams was largely invisible, with the exception of a nice follow dunk that showed off some of the big man's athleticism.
He finished the game with nine points and six rebounds.
Dion Waiters: D
With each passing game, it gets more difficult to understand what coach Scott Brooks thinks Dion Waiters adds to this starting lineup.
Coming into Friday's game, Waiters was shooting 39.2 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three-point range as a member of the Thunder. Both those figures are going down after this one.
He was 3-of-11 from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range on the way to eight points. He also gave up some wide-open driving lanes to Lee.
Rest of Team: C
Anthony Morrow's been on fire lately, but he really cooled off Friday. He went for 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, missing a lot of the shots he's been canning in recent weeks.
McGary struggled from the field as well, shooting just 2-of-7, but brought plenty of energy on defense and on the boards.
Coming Up Next
Oklahoma City's next game will be at home, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against the Houston Rockets. It will be a battle of MVP candidates, with both Westbrook and James Harden firmly in the hunt.
Memphis, meanwhile, will be at home against the Washington Wizards, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Conley will have his hands full again, as the speedy John Wall is coming off a career-high 18 assists.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
