Playoffs are supposed to be spicy, fresh, without the baggage of the regular season. See the Bucks; 8 wins in the last 10 regular games, but down 2-1 in the series. Take the Lakers; 3rd seed still competing with gravity on who can fall further as the Wolves lead 2-1. And when the 1st seed takes on the eighth-seeded team in Round 1, the expectations are similar. But in 8 out of 10 times, we know the outcome. Such a matchup usually translates to a comfortable start for the table toppers. And that is exactly how it has turned out for the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder announced their superiority from the start with a 51-point win over the Grizzlies in Game 1 and managed to win in the next two games. Now, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co. head game four, they wish to seal the deal. But is the young star playing?

 Shai’s been playing excellently in this series, averaging 24.3 in the last 3 games, and all he needs to do is maintain the momentum for the rest of the playoffs. For that, he and the Thunder will need to remain fit and avoid any knocks here and there like the Warriors’ Jimmy, as the Grizzlies did look like posing an upset in Game 3. So, will Shai play tonight, and are there any other injury concerns for the Thunder?

SGA is not carrying any injury from Game 3 and will be available to play tonight in Game 4 against the Grizzlies. But the Thunder will not have forward Ousmane Dieng available tonight as he is recovering from a calf strain. Dieng played 37 games during the regular season, averaging 3.8 points, and played 7 games for the Thunder’s G-League affiliate team, the Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 20.4 points. He hasn’t played any of the three games in the playoffs due to the same injury. The Thunder were hoping he’ll be useful in maintaining a solid squad depth if any other player in the rotation gets injured, but there’s no clear timeline for his return as of now.

Another player on the treatment table is Nikola Topić. The Serbian was ruled out for the 2024-25 season after a surgery on his torn ACL. Apart from Dieng and Topić, the rest of the Thunder squad are fully fit and will be looking to complete their sweep of the Grizzlies tonight. The Memphis Grizzlies had a great start to the game and looked like flipping the script when they led by 26 points at the end of the first half. But the Thunder regrouped in-game and now have a 3-0 series lead. If the OKC number 2 can make it 4-0 today, it will send a strong message to the rest of the league that the Thunder are not pretenders but serious contenders for the NBA championship this year.

The Grizzlies fell victim to cursed luck last game. With 3 minutes and 15 seconds remaining on the game clock before halftime, disaster struck for the Grizzlies. Ja Morant fell down to the floor, injuring his hip after colliding with Lu Dort while attempting a dunk. He shot the free throws but went into the locker room immediately afterwards, then subsequently ruled out for the rest of the game. The Grizzlies never looked the same coming out of halftime as the Thunder staged their own comeback in the game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played like the MVP candidate he is and had a great scoring night with 31 points. Chet Holmgren came alive in the second half and stretched the floor for some open shots. His barrage of three-pointers shifted the momentum in the Thunder’s favor, and Memphis’ lead was cut short to 8 points at the end of the 3rd quarter, only to take another game in their kitty by the end of the game.

Some would say the Thunder were fortunate that Morant got injured, given how confident the Grizzlies looked before that. They wouldn’t be entirely wrong. But the Thunder do have enough ammunition to win the series even with Ja on the floor, as they showed in the first two games of the series. 

Oklahoma City Thunder Predicted Lineup Against the Grizzlies in Game 4

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to make a strong start to Game 4 to prevent the Grizzlies from finding their footing like they did in the last game. Thankfully, they have a fit squad, except for Ousmane Dieng and Nikola Topić, to set the tone of the game from the first whistle. Here’s how they are predicted to lineup against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight:

The Oklahoma City Thunder are well-positioned to make a deep playoff run, with high chances of eventually being the 2025 NBA Champion. They’ve had excellent regular seasons for the last two years, but the current crop of Thunder players doesn’t have much playoff experience compared to the likes of the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and the Los Angeles Clippers. They did manage to reach the Conference Semifinals last year before losing out to the Dallas Mavericks. 

The squad has gained a lot from that experience, and if they sweep the Grizzlies tonight, the Thunder are looking at a rest period of 7 days before the Conference Semifinals, considering the Nuggets-Clippers series goes all the way to their 7th game. This break will be essential for Oklahoma’s young stars to rest and recover ahead of the gruelling playoffs. So, will the Oklahoma City Thunder be able to return home with Round 1 firmly in the bag, or will the Memphis Grizzlies stage another surprise comeback? It’ll surely be an exciting game to watch whichever way it swings.