NBA: Ajay Mitchell scores 35 as Oklahoma City crush Memphis 128-97

Oklahoma City dominated Memphis 128-97 on Friday 6 November 2026 at the FedExForum, in front of 16,197 spectators. Ajay Mitchell led the Thunder with 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting, and the Grizzlies never regained the lead after the sixth minute of the game.

The Thunder travelled with a depleted squad: Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic and Jaylin Williams were all listed as out on the latest injury report. Memphis were listed as without Scotty Pippen Jr. and Isaiah Stewart. The two teams had met in the first round of the 2025 playoffs, which Oklahoma City won 4-0. Friday's game counted towards the NBA Cup.

Six minutes for Memphis, then an 11-0 run

Memphis did lead 16-10 with 6:35 left in the first quarter. That would be their biggest lead of the night: six points. Oklahoma City responded with an 11-0 run to go ahead 21-16 with 4:35 left, and never gave up the lead again. After twelve minutes, the Thunder led 35-28.

A second quarter that finished 36-21

The game turned in the second period. Oklahoma City won the quarter 36-21, including a 13-0 run that took the score from 58-46 to 71-46 with 27 seconds left before the break. At half-time the scoreboard read 71-49: a 22-point lead for the Thunder, against the 21 points Memphis scored in the quarter.

The rest was just a question of margin

Coming out of the locker rooms, another 12-0 run stretched the lead to 83-51 with 9:05 left in the third quarter, then to 92-63 midway through the period. The quarter finished 27-27, and the Thunder led 98-76 going into the final period. In the fourth, a 10-0 run took the score from 112-89 to 122-89 with 3:38 left. The biggest gap came with 1:37 to play: 37 points (128-91). Memphis closed on a 6-0 run to make the scoreline look a little better. The Grizzlies did not win any of the four quarters: 28-35, 21-36, 27-27, 21-30.

Players of the match

Ajay Mitchell took the leading role with a career-best performance: 35 points, 14 of 20 from the field, 4 of 7 from three-point range, 5 assists and a +33 plus-minus in 30 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points (11 of 22 from the field) in 30 minutes, but turned the ball over 4 times. Jared McCain made his presence felt at both ends of the floor with 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting and 4 steals. Bennett Stirtz, off the bench, scored 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting in 24 minutes without a single turnover. Isaiah Hartenstein scored only 2 points, but he handed out 7 assists and finished +31 in 26 minutes. Alex Caruso, with 5 points and 6 rebounds, ended at +23 in 20 minutes.

For Memphis, Ty Jerome was the most productive: 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting, 5 of 5 from the free-throw line and 5 assists. His plus-minus was still -16 in 28 minutes. Zach Edey scored 14 points in 20 minutes, including 8 of 8 from the free-throw line, and grabbed 6 rebounds. The poorest performance came from Cameron Boozer: 8 points on 2 of 14 shooting, including 0 of 8 from beyond the arc. He did pull down 12 rebounds, but his plus-minus was -30 in 31 minutes. Jaylen Wells scored 7 points on 2 of 7 shooting and finished -31, and Quinten Post missed all 7 of his shots.

The game in numbers

Oklahoma City led for 88% of the playing time. The gap was built near the rim: 62 points in the paint for the Thunder, 32 for the Grizzlies, almost double. The Thunder also blocked 6 shots while Memphis blocked none, won the battle of the steals (10 to 5) and scored 14 fast-break points, against 8. The only area where Memphis did better was offensive rebounding, 13 to 6, though those second chances did not change the complexion of the game. The benches contributed about the same at both ends, 38 points for Oklahoma City, 37 for Memphis.

Three takeaways

A decisive margin. The Grizzlies led only during the first six minutes.

A cleaner, sharper Thunder. Oklahoma City made 51 of 92 shots, including 16 of 35 from three-point range, with 25 assists to 13 turnovers. Memphis finished 29 of 88, with 18 assists and 18 turnovers. The rebounding stayed close: 45 for the Thunder, 43 for the Grizzlies.

Memphis found the free throws, not the basket. The Grizzlies converted 29 of 31 free throws, against 10 of 16 for Oklahoma City. Above all, they attempted 45 three-pointers for only 10 makes, none of them by Boozer in eight attempts.

The SNA view

The numbers describe a clear-cut win and a rotation that answered the call. Without six players ruled out, Oklahoma City scored 128 points on 51 made shots, 22 more than Memphis. Behind them, Stirtz (12 points), Aday Mara (9 points, 7 rebounds in 18 minutes) and Micah Peavy (7 points) provided the supporting cast. Memphis, for their part, did the hard part by earning 31 free throws to their opponent's 16, and squandered that advantage with 18 turnovers and 10 makes on 45 three-point attempts. Reducing this game to one bad shooting night would be too simple, though: 62 points in the paint and 6 unanswered blocks also point to a more physical Thunder side, capable of winning on the road with a rotation missing six players.

What next. Oklahoma City improve to 7 wins and 2 defeats and sit 3rd in the Western Conference as of 7 November. Memphis, 6-3, are 7th. The Thunder host Washington on 8 November at 2:00 Brazzaville time; the Grizzlies travel to Toronto on 10 November at 1:30.