Thunder beat Grizzlies by 51

NBA PLAYOFFS

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Isaiah Hartenstein, left, and Jalen Williams celebrate after a dunk by Williams during the Thunder’s 131-80 victory against the Grizzlies in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Sunday. Nate Billings/ap

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Associated Press

The Thunder beat the Grizzlies 131-80 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Sunday, the fifth-biggest margin of victory in NBA postseason history.

The 51-point margin was seven shy of the record and was the largest Game 1 win in NBA playoff history.

Jalen Williams scored 20 points and Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s scoring champion with nearly 33 points per game, scored just 15. The Thunder still shot 50.5% from the field.

The Thunder, who finished the regular-season with a league-best 68-14 record, looked every bit the part of an overall No. 1 seed.

There have been two 58-point playoff margins in NBA history: the Nuggets beating the New Hornets 121-63 in 2009 and the Minneapolis Lakers beating the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in 1956.

Ja Morant had 17 points for the visiting Grizzlies on just 6-for-17 shooting. Jaren Jackson Jr., who averaged just over 22 points in the regular season, scored four points on 2-for-13 shooting. Marvin Bagley III also scored 17, but the Grizzlies shot just 34.4% overall.

This was the Grizzlies’ first playoff game under interim coach Tuomas Iisalo.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warrirs by 56 (126-70) in 1973 and the Bulls beat the Bucks by 54 (120-66) in 2015. And now, a 51-point game — where the Thunder had it well in hand by early in the second quarter. They took a 35-point lead into halftime.

T-wolves cruise: Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points, Naz Reid added 23 with six 3-pointers, and the Timberwolves overcame Luka Doncic’s 37-point Lakers playoff debut for a 117-95 road win on Saturday night.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the West first-round series opener for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who weathered Doncic’s 16-point first quarter in front of a roaring LA crowd. LeBron James had 19 points to begin his 18th NBA postseason, but the third-seeded Lakers were overwhelmed.

The T-wolves made a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers in the victory.

“They’re a great opponent,” JJ Redick said after losing his playoff coaching debut. “They’re one of the best teams in basketball. It’s not to say our guys weren’t ready to withstand playoff-level basketball. We were mentally ready, and I thought our spirit was right. ... I’m not sure physically we were ready.”

Knicks rally with 21-0 run: Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, Cam Payne had 11 of his 14 in the fourth quarter and the Knicks stunned the visiting Pistons with a 21-0 run in the final period to rally for a 123-112 victory on Saturday night in Game 1 of their East ern Conference first-round series.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points and 11 rebounds in his first playoff game with the Knicks and OG Anunoby also scored 23 points for the third-seeded Knicks.

The sixth-seeded Pistons held up well for more than three quarters of their first playoff game since 2019 and had a 98-90 lead, but trailed by 13 by the time they scored again.