The Memphis Grizzlies succumbed to the wrath of the West’s number one seed in their first game of the postseason. Their 51-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder is among the biggest losses in the history of the postseason. OKC’s smothering defensive units choked the Grizzlies’ offense completely. Aside from Ja Morant, none of the starters could score in double digits. However, his night was just as horrid as his teammates.

Morant led the scoring with 17 points. He only shot 6 for 17 from the floor, being guarded exclusively by the league’s best backcourt defense. His primary mark, Lugentz Dort, is regarded as one of the best defenders in the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even endorsed his case to be the DPOY. And even if Morant managed to scrape through Dort’s tenacity, OKC had more weapons.

Nonetheless, Morant’s displeasure had no place to hide. “Ja Morant just shook his head when he saw Lu Dort check out, Alex Caruso check in, only for him to be guarded by Cason Wallace,” Thunder’s beat writer Addam Francisco noticed.

The defensive trio managed to curtail the 25-year-old’s flair. All Francisco could think about the situation was, “I’d be pissed too.” Those sentiments didn’t extend solely to Ja Morant. Aside from him, Memphis only had one more player scoring in double digits, Marvin Bagley III. Furthermore, OKC’s offense didn’t crack despite their high defensive pressure.

Even though SGA only posted 15 points in a challenging game for the MVP candidate, the Thunder shot over 50% from the field and made 17 threes. Ja Morant and the Grizzlies could only muster 32 made field goals for the night. Their 80 points were also the least they have scored all season by a wide margin of 19 points.

Many doubted how the young and motivated Thunder would perform under the playoff spotlight. Their belligerent start has surely turned around a plethora of opinions. As for Morant and the Grizzlies, they did fight valiantly to make it to the postseason. But at this point, they would be kicking themselves for not securing the 7th seed due to a costly blunder against the Warriors.

A one-game deficit in a playoff series isn’t the end of the world. But the magnitude of the loss has severely damaged the Grizzlies’ chances of progression. Can they pull off a comeback to shut down the one-seed? Ja Morant and Co. do have a solid side. But even with their synergy, a major problem came to light today.

Getting through the Thunder’s defensive chamber

Memphis does have a diverse offense on its hands. Morant can slither into lanes and pressure shot blockers. Furthermore, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are also skilled at recovering from such a lousy night. Likewise, there’s a high likelihood that Memphis showcases its grit in the following games against the best regular-season team in the NBA.

But just how far can they stretch? It’s not only about tackling the hounding defense from the likes of Dort, Alex Caruso, and Cason Wallace. The Grizzlies also need to answer on the defensive end of the floor. Tonight, they allowed 131 points without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander really going to work.

But before they can come to terms with their defensive plans, which Morant emphasized need improvement, they have a bigger hurdle to bypass. Their electric guard isn’t fully fit. After the loss, he did admit his ankle felt “good”. However, the image is far more complicated than his few words.

Only a few days prior, during their Play-In battle, Ja Morant had to take injections to play through the pain in his ankle. Although he is able to go out on the floor, his burst is affected due to the ailment. He is yet to score over 22 in any of the games since suffering the injury. As cruel as it sounds, that’s good news for the Thunder.

When healthy and with a full motor, Ja Morant’s game is crafted to succeed in the postseason, and it has in the past. However, with him fighting an injury, the offensive responsibilities need to be delegated. Bane and JJJ will have to find cracks in the unflappable Thunder defense that has shut down even the most prolific offenses.

The job will be extremely difficult. But Memphis is renowned for fighting against the odds. If they can stun the Thunder in Game 2, the tide of the series could shift.