OKC Thunder vs Memphis Grizzlies Injury Report: A must-win for the Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder opened up a long home stand with the depleted Memphis Grizzlies coming to town. This is a must-win game for the Thunder, given Memphis’ missing pieces.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s customary extended home stand will come to an end on December 31 when they take on Brooklyn in the team’s annual New Year’s Eve game inside the Paycom Center. The Thunder must win their game against the Memphis Grizzlies to begin that home stand.

Oklahoma City, with the second-best record in the West, comes into this game with a 16-8 record after winning six of their previous ten games. With just three wins in their last 10 games, Memphis enters the NBA with the 13th-best record—only ahead of Portland and San Antonio—despite their dismal 6–18 record.

After this game against Memphis, the squad will play five straight games against the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks before going on the road once more to play the Nuggets for a quick one-game road trip.

This is a must-win game for the Thunder to get some breathing room before facing more formidable opponents, especially considering who Oklahoma City has coming down the line.

Jacob Gilyard, who has participated in 18 games with seven starts, is someone that Oklahoma City supporters should closely monitor. Despite his size, Gilyard is a dangerous defender and leads Richmond in all-time steals. Gilyard can cause chaos with his nose just as much as the Thunder can cut, drive, and flee.

With Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis still has some formidable players, but it should not be enough to get past a healthy Oklahoma City squad.