Ja Morant Says Grizzlies 'Will Never Play That Bad Again' After 51-Point Loss to OKC

Star point guard Ja Morant was confident that the Memphis Grizzlies would improve following a lopsided 131-80 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

“We will never play that bad again," Morant said after the contest, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

The 51-point margin of defeat represented the largest that an NBA team has ever suffered in Game 1 of a playoff series.

Memphis only trailed by four points with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, but Oklahoma City ended the quarter on an 11-3 run and never looked back.

The Grizzlies struggled defensively throughout the game, as the Thunder scored 112 points through three quarters.

Memphis committed 24 turnovers as a team compared to just 18 assists, allowing Oklahoma City to rack up 27 points in transition and 60 points in the paint.

Morant scored 17 points and recorded four assists, shooting just 6-of-17 from the field and connecting on one of his six attempts from behind the arc. The Grizzlies were outscored by 25 points in his 26 minutes on the floor.

Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. both experienced issues offensively, combining to score a mere 13 points on 5-of-25 shooting.

While the Thunder ended the regular season with the best record in the NBA at 68-14, it was still a disappointing result for Memphis.

The Grizzlies finished with a 48-34 record of their own and secured a playoff spot with a 120-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks in the play-in tournament on Friday night.

Memphis will attempt to avoid falling into a 2-0 series deficit during its next clash with Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET.