Sports

Player grades: Thunder absolutely humiliate Grizzlies in 128-97 NBA Cup win

Nairavoice · Nov 7, 2026 · 10 min read

Bringing the ball up quickly before the double team could settle, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contorted himself through traffic. As Jaylen Wells and Jevon Small were sandwiched in between him, the two-time MVP winner went with the circus layup shot attempt that banked in.

The Oklahoma City Thunder absolutely destroyed the Memphis Grizzlies in a 128-97 win. This was also part of the 2026 NBA Cup West Group B play, so yay for bonus points.

If you had thought the Thunder were going to fully lean on Gilgeous-Alexander to bail them out for the next two months, think again. They’ve regrown an identity that features a much friendlier offensive ecosystem. He took a backseat as Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain absolutely carved up Memphis at every level.

After snapping an 0-for-18 streak, McCain swished in back-to-back 3-pointers. The Thunder had a 35-28 lead after the first quarter. Everybody chipped in. The momentum continued after the break. OKC built up a 22-9 run in the second frame. The shots were falling. And the Grizzlies looked like a young and inexperienced squad that couldn’t handle the consequential setting.

The score started to escalate. Mitchell blew past Ty Jerome for a wide-open layup. That made it a 50-36 game with a little over seven minutes to go in the first half. OKC ballooned its lead with a vintage avalanche run. Mitchell looked like a budding NBA All-Star — completely outplaying the flavor-of-the-week in Jerome.

The Thunder dropped 36 points in the second quarter. They entered halftime with a 71-49 lead over the Grizzlies. Wow. Since the Post-D.C.C. (Dub, Chet, Cason) era started, this was their most stunning showing yet. What a complete 180, where things were about a week ago in their two-game Texas trip.

Any hopes of a miraculous comeback were put to rest. The Thunder dropped the first nine points of the second half. Mitchell had another outside jumper fall on a second-chance look. The energy was off the charts. Even from just watching on the TV screen. The Thunder led by as many as 37 points. That produced some wacky-looking scores as OKC routed one of the hottest teams in the league.

Both teams had 27 points apiece in the third quarter. That made it a 98-76 lead for the Thunder. Just like the good old days, Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed a short shift. He wasn’t required to play the fourth frame. Instead, Mitchell topped his career-best scoring night — which only happened about two weeks ago. He’s seamlessly stepped up as the new Robin. OKC had 30 points in the final quarter to fluff up the margin for NBA Cup tiebreaker purposes.

The Thunder shot 55% from the field and went 16-of-35 (45.7%) from 3. They shot 10-of-16 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 51 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points and four assists. Mitchell had a career-best 35 points and five assists. McCain had 21 points and five rebounds. Bennett Stirtz also had 12 points.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies shot 33% from the field and went 10-of-45 (22.2%) from 3. They shot 29-of-31 on free throws. They had 18 assists on 29 baskets. Five Grizzlies players scored double-digit points.

Jerome had 21 points and five assists. Cedric Coward finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Zach Edey tallied 14 points and six rebounds. Jerami Grant and Small each scored 10 points apiece.

I mean, what a butt-whooping. The Thunder are back to being a win machine. Sure, they lost some vital limbs — but they aren’t dead yet. As long as Gilgeous-Alexander can suit up, they’ll always be in any game. Mitchell has completely run away with his newfound opportunity, too. To completely stun the red-hot Grizzlies like this deserves everybody’s attention.

Let’s see how the Thunder keep things rolling. But Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell have proven to be a capable two-man duo since their NBA lives were completely shaken up. And the rest of the supporting cast has stepped up to help OKC not only stay afloat but thrive in its current set of circumstances.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A

After drawing the shooting foul on Olivier-Maxence Prosper with his pull-up jumper, Gilgeous-Alexander scoped his surroundings. He turned his body in the opposite direction. A group of Memphis kids sitting courtside had their night made as the two-time MVP winner signaled for them to help him get up.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points on 11-of-22 shooting, four assists and three rebounds. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. He also had one steal and one block.

No Superman heroics were required here. Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed playing his preferred style of free-flowing basketball. I’m sure he felt a sigh of relief not needing to carry the offense as a one-man show. Instead, he helped bury the Grizzlies on the scoreboard as part of a three-headed scoring machine.

Like in previous years, the Grizzlies had zero answers for Gilgeous-Alexander. He completely dissected their defense. The walking 30-point machine did most of his damage within the perimeter. He buried mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper. When that wasn’t there, he ballerina’d his way to the cup. Most of the young Memphis roster learned what one of the greatest scorers ever looks like at the peak of his powers.

Not much mileage was needed out of his heavily-taxed legs. This was a throwback performance to when Gilgeous-Alexander only played in three quarters. He had 11 points in the third frame alone to put this one away. This was especially timely, considering the Thunder are on the front end of a back-to-back.

Add this to the long list of evidence that all the Thunder need is Gilgeous-Alexander. As long as he’s on the court, they’re a regular-season high-win machine. Been easy to scoff at that theory in recent years due to their All-NBA talent elsewhere, but there’s no denying it right now with how bad the health situation is. That’s why I think OKC should ultimately be OK for the rest of the regular season. Even with their absences. He’s just too dang good not to be a competitive contender.

Come on, 2️⃣ 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/Mt8EIhCZzP

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Through the contact 😤 pic.twitter.com/ZpiGHWe4C9

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Smoooo👌oooth operator pic.twitter.com/ZkkK2qait5

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Ajay Mitchell: A-plus

Absolutely bullying his way around Grant, Mitchell went with the crossover to go left. As he went with the awkwardly-angled driving layup, the 24-year-old capped off his career night with a blue-collar and-one bucket. It showed off both his finesse and raw strength.

Mitchell finished with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting, five assists and one rebound. He shot 4-of-7 from 3 and went 3-of-5 on free throws.

Not to get too ahead of things, but if the Thunder hope to continue their streak of two NBA All-Star players, I think we’ve found the best candidate. Not even two weeks ago, Mitchell had his first 30-ball of his career. Now, he’s easily topped that again here. He completely took apart Memphis’ defense and added to OKC’s historic one-sided competitiveness with the Grizzlies.

It was two spots that Mitchell completely dominated on the court — in the paint and outside the perimeter. The former shouldn’t be a surprise. His drive-heavy scoring attack has turned him from a second-round two-way to Gilgeous-Alexander’s Dick Grayson. But the outside jumper? That has finally turned a corner after an icy start to the year.

As the Thunder put up some hilarious scoreboard numbers, Mitchell had 21 points in the first half. Nobody on the Grizzlies could stay in front of him. Poor Jerome had his subpar defense exposed at the NBA Cup level. For good measure, he added 14 points to his total in a drama-free second half that should’ve been played on a running clock. Not only did he cross 30 points again, but he flirted with 40 in his best scoring output yet.

Mitchell was in the zone. All night. He has the right combination of strength and finesse. He powered through several smaller defenders to get to the rim. When that didn’t work, he tried his luck with a bunch of circus shots that feathered through. The outside jumpers were just straight-up insulting. It’s been a minute since OKC completely dominated another team like this from tip-off to the final buzzer, but it’s found its footing with this new group.

Since Mitchell was jettisoned from Sixth Man to second go-to scorer, he’s stepped up to the plate. He’s turned into a 20-point scorer. With very few lulls. Consistency is what separates a high-end role player from a certified top star. Right now, we’re seeing him take that next step in his improbable developmental arc.

Got to the rack, got the bucket + 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qP0QTlg6fa

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Ajay beyond the arc 🏹 pic.twitter.com/QhjOtIzkMV

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Strength on display 💪 pic.twitter.com/LoPUhK81cL

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Jared McCain: A-plus

On a pair of catch-and-shoot looks, McCain rediscovered his groove. The Thunder quickly put up a double-digit lead. They can thank their en-fuego-style outside shooting for that. After a cold spell, the 22-year-old showed what the positive side of his shooting variance can look like.

McCain finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and five rebounds. He shot 3-of-8 from 3. He also had four steals and one block.

Do you think McCain heard Stirtz’s footsteps coming for his playing time? He’s certainly played like somebody with a fire lit underneath their seat. Showing an inkling of confidence, the microwave scorer was hot throughout the night. Sure, the outside jumpers fell. But his scoring attack within the paint has also been a nice surprise so far.

McCain had 12 points in the first quarter. He helped the Thunder get away from this one early. As Gilgeous-Alexander gladly took a backseat after back-to-back 40-point nights, it was he and Mitchell who delivered OKC’s first lethal punch to Memphis. The two absolutely demoralized the hot-shot, young, up-and-coming squad.

This is what the best version of McCain looks like. When he’s zoned in, he needs little time to drop points in a flurry. The Thunder have learned to play a team-friendly offensive style that lessens the burden on Gilgeous-Alexander. This is what it tangibly looks like. He made OKC’s decision to start him look like an absolute genius move.

27 seconds of JMac hoops 👌 pic.twitter.com/MSpm9ZnIXu

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

🤲 ➡️ 👌 pic.twitter.com/xptJaxQnUo

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 7, 2026

Aday Mara: B-plus

Fighting on the glass with Cameron Boozer and Coward, Mara came up with the win on the loose ball. He tapped the ball towards him. He muscled his way up for the layup attempt. It didn’t go in, but he drew the shooting foul. Finally, he thought. He celebrated the call and screamed at the referees’ direction.

Mara finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds. He shot 1-of-4 on free throws. He also had one block.

It only took a little past Halloween for the Thunder to learn how to utilize Mara. They threw the ball up with the mindset that he’d Prime Megatron would catch it. In their defense, the plan has worked without a hitch. He’s turned into their new favorite toy as an automatic assist connection. The lob threat is an improved wrinkle in OKC’s offense. Something that has seldom been there over the years.

Even coming off the bench, Mara completely outplayed both of the Grizzlies’ dynamic centers in Boozer and Edey. On defense, he had a nasty recovery block that showed his defensive gravity. The 21-year-old has learned on the job. Playing a larger role than expected, he’s helped the Thunder fortify a frontcourt rotation with all of the injuries they’ve experienced.

Couldn’t have dreamt up a better start to Mara’s NBA journey. He’s helped the Thunder get real wins already. Both as a starter and bench player. It’s been a couple of years since OKC has had fresh-faced rookies help them from the jump. Now, it’s getting a double dose of that with the seven-footer and Stirtz.