Memphis had been trending in the wrong direction of late. With two-time All-Star Ja Morant on the shelf, the Grizzlies had dropped four of their last five games, and now sport a 44-29 record on the year with several tough contests remaining on their slate.

Morant initially popped up on the injury report after the game against the Cavs with hamstring soreness. Ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Thunder Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said that Morant is in the "day-to-day phase" of a return.

It's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder against Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night at Paycom Center.

The Oklahoma City Thunder surprisingly enjoyed a 125-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Like taking a video game seriously, the former toyed with the latter until closing time sealed the result. Both squads took turns with the lead in the first half.

The chances of Memphis winning on Thursday night were slim. They were double-digit underdogs against a team that many feel is destined to come out of the Western Conference. While Oklahoma City has wrapped up its positioning as the No.

The glaring disadvantage for Memphis will come from the fact that Ja Morant is confirmed as out for the game with a hamstring injury. Health issues have been a reoccurring problem for Morant all year.