Memphis Grizzlies stun Oklahoma City Thunder to win game-1 of the Western Conference Semi-finals (Part 1)
The Memphis Grizzlies just cannot stop winning at the moment. A little more than 36 hours, after they knocked out the first seeded San Antonio Spurs from the NBA
playoffs, the Grizzlies sprang another surprise. On Sunday night, the resurgent Grizzlies beat the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder 114-101 at the Oklahoma City Arena to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-finals series.
Zach Randolph, who was a monster presence against the Spurs, picked off from where he left off and erupted with 34 points on the night. The prolific forward who also
had 10 rebounds, broke the Grizzlies point’s record in a playoff game, set himself against the Spurs with 31points.
Supporting Randolph was Marc Gasol. The 7-1 centre had 20 points to go along with his 13 rebounds. The two combined for 54 points as the Grizzlies dominated in the
paint, much as they did in the series against the Spurs.
Just like in game-1 of that series, Gasol and Randolph both scored at least 20 points and just like that game, the Grizzlies won. It’s a combination that has instilled
fear in the hearts of Memphis’s opponents and Marc Gasol says they are aware of this fact and try to take advantage as much as they can,
"I think we always try to do that. The thing is that it's not always possible," Gasol said. "We always try to come out and execute and play the right way. It's not
always possible. Teams are going to adjust, and they're going to do something different.”
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were again the main performers for the Thunder. Durant got 33 points and 11 rebounds while Westbrook finished with 29 points. However,
Westbrook’s points came after taking 23 shots and his inaccuracy cost his team dearly.
The game started with both teams trading shots. Randolph’s running back shot with 9:36 remaining in the first gave Memphis the lead. It was a lead they would not
relinquish throughout the course of the night. An even quarter came to an end at 24-28. Westbrook was hot early on as he made 4 of his 5 shots within the first seven minutes, however as the game went on his average dropped dramatically. The Grizzlies played
solid defence, congesting the lane and forcing tough shots and turnovers.
The Grizzlies blistered through the next quarter as they scored 29 against 23 from OKC. Leading by as many as 16 at one point, Memphis took the sting out of the Oklahoma
crowd. The visitors looked comfortable as the Thunder failed to clamp down on their offense. The first half came to an end with the score at 47 – 57, giving Memphis a ten point lead at the interval.
Randolph was the main threat to the Thunder but Randolph apart; they also failed to control his supporting cast. Every Memphis player had registered on the scorecard
by the end of the first half.
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