Roughly 36 hours after Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies earned their playoff berth, they are facing the first-seeded OKC Thunder team. Memphis got the better of Dallas on Friday in the play-in tournament to earn this season’s final playoff spot, ruining Anthony Davis’ 40 points. Despite coming in positive, there’s a memory that haunts. The Thunder swept the Grizzlies in the regular and none of the games were even close. But everyone expected this game to be much different from the regular-season ones because the stakes are higher than ever before. However, anyone who thought has been proved wrong by Oklahoma City’s young and hungry team. And when the Thunder tried to bend the Grizzlies, Ja Morant and co. crawled.

The first-place Thunder jumped to a 12-point lead after the first quarter. But that was merely the beginning of an onslaught. The lead then increased to a massive 32 points by the end of the first half, with big man Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams dropping 14 points each. This incredible first-half performance is the biggest winning margin in OKC’s playoff history. They have steamrolled this Grizzlies team so far and increased their winning margin to a stunning 48 points. To even call this age a blowout would be an understatement. Each of the Thunder’s starters has scored in double digits, and it seems that there’s no stopping them. If they keep scoring at this rate, OKC might crush Ja Morant and Co. in the series, handing over nil.

Ironically, the current record of the largest win in NBA history came by the Memphis Grizzlies in an incredible 152-79 win. Can you guess over whom? Yes! The OKC Thunder were on the wrong end on December 2, 2021. It seems that the Thunder team is returning the favor, and they’re doing that in incredible fashion. While the Grizzlies’ win came in a regular-season game, this loss is much more humiliating for Memphis because it’s during the postseason. Memphis doesn’t even look like it belongs on the same court as Oklahoma City. You could say they’ve been saved by the bell tonight as OKC defeated them by a 51-point margin, just shy of the NBA playoff record. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. have managed to add one record to their name with this win. Which? You might ask.

Well, with this 51-point thrashing of the Memphis Grizzlies, the OKC Thunder now have the biggest game 1 victory in the history of the league. Thanks to a spectacular effort from the entire OKC team, as every player has contributed to this massive win. This is also a huge statement from the Thunder! They’ve been doubted by a lot of people due to them being a young and inexperienced team. While it’s still early days in the postseason but with this win, the Thunder look like the real deal. Keeping all of that aside, you might be wondering where this win ranks among the biggest playoff humiliations?

Where does this 51-point Memphis humiliation rank in playoff history?

Oklahoma City led by as many as 56 in the fourth and final quarter of the game before eventually winning by 51. If they managed to hold that lead, OKC would’ve been tied for the second place in the list of all-time playoff blowouts. They would’ve equaled the LA Lakers’ 56-point win over the Warriors back in 1973. However, that wasn’t the case. With a 51-point win, the OKC Thunder will have to be satisfied with the fifth position on the table. While it might not be the most one-sided playoff win in NBA history, that record belongs to the Denver Nuggets, it still is one of the best performances in recent playoff memory.

That’s because it’s been nearly a decade since a playoff game was decided by 50 points or more. The Chicago Bulls came the closest during the 2015 season against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls rallied for a 120-66 win over the Bucks sending eliminating Milwaukee from the first round. Getting sent home, especially like that, is awful. But at least they did not have to face their fans. Meanwhile, Memphis is yet to return to their home for the remainder of the first-round playoff series. It is going to be a long series for Ja Morant and the Grizzlies after this humiliation in the first game. However, they might feel slightly better knowing they are not on top of the list. But who is?

What is the biggest loss in the history of the NBA Playoffs?

The OKC Thunder were impressive in their 51-point win against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, they were just 7 points behind the Denver Nuggets’ incredible playoff record. Back in 2009, the Denver team, led by the new Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, did something that would be remembered forever. In game 4 of their playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans (then Hornets), Carmelo Anthony and Co. went off. They gained a massive 36-15 just after the first quarter. While the Hornets rallied back to decrease the deficit, it didn’t even make a dent in the margin.

Carmelo Anthony finished the game with a game-high 26 points as the Nuggets completed a spectacular 121-63, 58-point win over New Orleans. This is still the biggest win tied with the Minneapolis Lakers’ 1956 win over the St. Louis Hawks for the biggest win in NBA playoffs history. The OKC Thunder were within touching distance of this fantastic record but fell short in the end. Nonetheless, they were outstanding tonight and deserved the blowout win as they turn their focus to game 2 against the Grizzlies.