Kevin Durant sizzles as Oklahoma City Thunder even series with 111-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies - Part 1
After enduring a shock loss at the hands of Zach Randolph inspired Memphis Grizzlies, in the game -1 of the Western Conference semi-final series, the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder came back strong to script a 111-102 victory on Wednesday night. In a win which was more emphatic than the final score suggests, the Thunder led by as many as 21 near the end.
The Memphis side that had taken game-1 thanks to a dominant performance in the paint could not reach the same heights this time around. Zach Randolph, who destroyed OKC in the previous game with 34 points, managed only 15 in game-2. With Randolph misfiring, Memphis relied on Mike Conley, who had 24 points while O.J. Mayo came off the bench to add 16.
Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins credited Thunder’s aggressiveness and desire for the win, something his team lacked on this occasion,
"It was a classic desperate team, more aggressive team” Hollins said. "I say the desperate team usually wins, and they were the desperate team in their play, which was a sense of urgency and aggressiveness.
"They came out and attacked."
Oklahoma saw Kevin Durant top the scoring, again, with 26 followed by 24 from Russell Westbrook. But the key to their success was the contribution from the bench. The Thunder are used to getting big numbers out of their All-Stars, but tonight the bench stepped up as well. James Harden had 21 while Eric Maynor also provided 15 points for OKC.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks praised his team after the game, "That's what they've done all year, and that's why we are in this position, because they've done either a good job of catching up or extending leads," Brooks said. "I thought they were outstanding tonight."
The urgency in OKC’s game was evident from the start. Although the Grizzlies scored the first 4 points of the game, Oklahoma City immediately went on a 13-4 run. Memphis found the going tough from there on and ended the quarter with an 11 point deficit at 28-17. Not one Memphis player went past 4 points in the opening quarter.
The Grizzlies came out in the second quarter looking to get their offense going. They executed well, scoring 27 in the quarter. However, the visitors still failed to pin back the Thunder, who always seemed to be prepared with a counter punch.
Grizzlies got the scores close at 33-36 halfway through the quarter, but OKC hit them for 5 quick points, taking the lead back to 8. The Thunder continued to press forward and stretched their lead to 12, before Conley nailed a shot in the dying seconds of the half to bring the deficit back to 10. The first half ended at 54-44.
Serge Ibaka hurt his knee late in the second quarter and had to be substituted. During the interval, he had ice on both knees and rode a stationary bike to ease the pain. He returned to action in the third quarter. Asked after the game if there were concerns regarding his fitness for the game-3, Ibaka responded with optimism, "We've got three days off," he added, "so I hope to be OK."
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