On December 19, the NBA regular season continued. The Thunder host the Grizzlies in a matchup between two young teams. The Thunder beat the Hawks in their last game to claim their eighth win of the season, while the Grizzlies are on a four-game losing streak and sit second to last in the West.
After the start of the game, the Thunder showed strong offensive and defensive capabilities, and Alexander and Holmgren teamed up to lead the team to a 13-0 attack wave to open up the gap in one fell swoop. Although the Grizzlies were led by Bane and Jackson Jr. on the counterattack, the Thunder's defense was very tenacious and did not give the opponent any chance. At the end of the first quarter, the Thunder led the Grizzlies by 14 points, 32-18.
In the second quarter, the Thunder's firepower did not wane, and Giddey and Dort each hit three-pointers to help the team extend the lead to more than 20 points. The Grizzlies' offense was in a slump and could only rely on individual performances from the bench Zaire Williams, but they couldn't stop the Thunder's madness. At halftime, the Thunder led the Grizzlies by 23 points, 64-41.
In the third quarter, the Thunder didn't give the Grizzlies any chance to turn the tables, Alexander and Holmgren continued to play well, scoring 10 and 8 points respectively, and Holmgren also handed out 4 blocks, setting a new career record for a single game. The Thunder went on a 16-2 run in the quarter to stretch the score to 90-62 and lead by 28 points. The Grizzlies were powerless to return to the sky and could only watch the game lose suspense.
In the fourth quarter, Thunder coach Donovan began to rotate and let the bench players play, but the Thunder's advantage was still not weakened, and they still maintained an efficient offense and aggressive defense, not giving the Grizzlies any chance. The Grizzlies didn't give up either, and Zaire Williams continued to play well, scoring 11 points in the quarter, but couldn't change the course of the game. In the end, the Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 116-97 at home, winning two straight victories while giving the Grizzlies a painful gift of five consecutive defeats.
The Thunder's victory would not have been possible without the outstanding performances of their two stars, Alexander and Holmgren. Alexander finished with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, his third 30+ this season and the eighth of his career. His scoring ability and versatility have made him a star player for the Thunder and one of the most promising young guards in the West.