Memphis Grizzlies win 101-93 in overtime; take a 2-1 lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder - Part 2
Russell Westbrook put on a show in the third quarter as the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder dominated yet again. Russell, who grabbed a rebound, had a couple of assists and scored 12 points, led OKC on an 11 – 2 run that brought their
lead to a game high 16 points with 3:53 left to play. By the end of the third quarter, OKC carved out a 76-63 advantage over the Grizzlies, who seemed unable to handle the Thunder offense.
However, OKC also suffered a setback in the third quarter as Serge Ibaka, who also had injury concerns in the previous game, had to be substituted in the 9th minute after twisting his ankle.
The final period of the game saw the Thunder crumble in the face of an amazing comeback from the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies scored 6 without reply to start the quarter. They then went on a thrilling run of 15 – 2 and took
the lead at 86-84, with just 2:21 left to play. Westbrook drew level for Oklahoma City, but Kevin Durant missed his step back jumper on the last possession for the Thunder. Memphis then had a chance to win it, however Randolph’s three at the death fell short
and the game went into overtime.
The Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks rued the mistakes made in the 4th quarter after the game, "I think we just got slow. We weren't moving with any speed, no energy, and that's what we have to do. We have to
do a better job of doing that. We were taking bad shots and that's not a good combination when you're trying to close out a game.''
The fourth quarter was a disaster for the Thunder as they could only manage 10 points in the face of 23 from the Grizzlies. Kevin Durant had a horrible quarter as missed 5 of his 7 shots including the one on the last possession.
Thunder’s other All-Star, Russell Westbrook, also struggled with just 4 points and 3 turnovers.
Their misery continued in overtime as both players failed to score a single point. Westbrook turned the ball over two more times, and eventually fouled out of the game. Memphis ran out as comfortable winners in the end with a 101
– 93 score line.
Memphis edged the battle of the boards, 55 – 53 and had a slight advantage in the shooting with 37.8 percent against 36.6 for Oklahoma. The Thunder struggled from beyond the arc with a poor 19 percent.
Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo paid tribute to his team’s spirit and resiliency after the game, ``We just didn't want to give up. We understand this is the postseason and we're playing against a good team. We just wanted to keep putting
the pressure on them, not give up, and just keep playing.''
Game-4 is scheduled for Monday at the FedEx Forum and if the Grizzlies win it to go 3-1 up in the series, OKC could find that a deficit too deep to come back from.
Tags: