Oklahoma City is looking to prove it’s still among the league’s best during the in-season tournament. 

On Friday night, the Thunder will tip off their NBA Cup Group Play slate with a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on the gray court in FedEx Forum. The Thunder’s first matchup against the Grizzlies this season, they’ll be looking to extend their winning streak and get a good win against a surprising Memphis squad. 

Behind a couple of 40-point nights from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder began the month of November by sweeping the season series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His heroic efforts will be key to keeping the Thunder afloat throughout the season, and will be necessary to keep any title hopes intact. 

Although this version of the Thunder might not be at the level of a championship contender, they can still use the NBA Cup to prove their season is far from over. After all, this era of Thunder basketball has been defined by injuries and the team’s perseverance. 

Along with the Grizzlies, the Thunder’s group play slate will feature the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans. Considering Minnesota is without Anthony Edwards for the foreseeable future, and the other three all entered the season projected to finish no higher than the play-in, the Thunder’s path back to the knockout stage is still clear. 

Of course, it will all begin with the team getting a much-needed win in Memphis to start group play. With Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder seem to always be in the game, and that will be the key in Memphis and moving forward. 

All the Thunder need to do in the short term is ensure that games are still winnable by the time Gilgeous-Alexander gets on the floor in the fourth quarter. As seen against Cleveland on Wednesday, the Thunder will still have some games where they control from start to finish.

While those types of games might not happen as often as they have in years past, the Thunder are still more than capable of putting together complete performances consistently. With the NBA Cup featuring higher stakes than a typical regular season game, these matchups should be a great test for this depleted version of the Thunder. 

The NBA Cup has become a great barometer of success since it began, and the Thunder will be looking to showcase that they haven’t gone anywhere just because of a few injuries.