Ajay Mitchell scored a career-high 35 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 128–97 in Memphis on 6 November, according to the NBA's 7 November report. The win opened Oklahoma City's West Group B campaign in the NBA Cup.
Mitchell's first-half surge sets up Thunder win
The NBA's live account of the 6 November game put Oklahoma City ahead 71–49 at half-time. Mitchell had 21 points on nine makes from 11 field-goal attempts before the break, which the league described as the highest-scoring half of his career. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points and Jared McCain had 14 at the interval, according to the same account.
SportsRivo calculates that Mitchell scored 14 points after half-time in the 6 November game: his NBA-reported final total of 35 minus the 21 recorded at the break. The calculation shows that his opening-half production supplied most of his career-best return. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 28 points and McCain with 21, the NBA's 7 November update said.
The NBA's 6 November game recap on the official box-score page reports that Oklahoma City shot 55% from the field. It also says the Thunder forced 18 Memphis turnovers and scored 30 points from them. Those possessions added to the advantage created by Mitchell's shooting rather than leaving the result dependent on one scorer.
Memphis had difficulty from long range, finishing at 22% on three-point attempts in the NBA's 6 November recap. Ty Jerome led the Grizzlies with 21 points, while Zach Edey scored 14. Oklahoma City followed a large first-half lead with a 12–0 run early in the third quarter, extending its lead to 32, according to that recap.
NBA Cup group position and recent form
The NBA's 6 November game record lists the match as an Emirates NBA Cup game in West Group B at FedExForum. Its group record after the result shows Oklahoma City at one win and no losses, with a 31-point differential. Memphis began with a loss. These are the opening group positions recorded after the teams' first Cup meeting, not a claim about qualification.
The NBA's 6 November recap says Oklahoma City had beaten Cleveland twice before the Memphis trip. It also records Mitchell averaging 21.6 points across his previous five games. His Memphis performance therefore added a career high to a run of increased scoring, while the win kept the Thunder's recent results moving in the same direction.
What the result changes
- Oklahoma City start West Group B with a win and a 31-point differential, as recorded on the NBA game page after the 6 November fixture.
- Memphis begin group play with a defeat, having conceded 30 points from 18 turnovers in the NBA's 6 November game recap.
- Mitchell now has a 35-point career high, according to the NBA's 7 November update, alongside a win built with Gilgeous-Alexander and McCain's scoring support.
Thunder's confirmed next game
The Thunder are set to host the Wizards this Saturday, according to the Thunder's schedule. The NBA lists the Thunder's game against the Wizards first, followed by Memphis' game at Toronto on Monday. Both games remain scheduled as they were when this report was generated.
Source: NBA Cup live report