This was LeBron's blow to Stewart 1:04
(CNN)
- A new NBA record was set on Thursday when the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 152-79 in Tennessee.
The 73-point victory surpassed the previous record of 68 points set by the Cleveland Cavaliers, which had stood for nearly 20 years after a 148-80 beating of the Miami Heat on December 17, 1991.
Led by Jaren Jackson Jr. with 27 points, nine Grizzlies players scored double figures as a new team points record was also set.
It won't be much of a consolation for the Thunder, who rebound from an eighth straight loss that leaves them 6-16, but having dropped 78 points with just over three minutes remaining it could have been worse.
Even with 30 seconds to play, the Grizzlies had a 75-point lead, but the Thunder's Ty Jerome sank the final shot of the game to cut the lead to 73.
Argentine Gabriel Deck played for 22 minutes and contributed four points in what was the most crushing loss in NBA history.
advertising
(Photo Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
"Tonight is not necessarily who we are," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told reporters.
"I think we have definitely shown it from a competitive point of view, this is not an indication of what our team is."
Multiple records for the Grizzlies in one night
Franchise records fell in abundance on the night: most points in a game, most bench points in a game (93), most assists (41) and the highest percentage of field goals (62.5%).
Not that Taylor Jenkins seemed overly upset by such statistics, and the Grizzlies coach said after the game that "records are bound to be broken."
"The franchise records are obviously great and I'm proud our guys don't think about it," Jenkins told reporters.
"Good win," said Jackson Jr. "We put it together, we stuck to the game plan and we stayed committed throughout the game. The credit goes to the coach and everyone. Just one other game, it goes in the left column." added Jackson Jr.
