Oklahoma City Thunder beat Memphis Grizzlies 105-90 – NBA Play-off Recap
Kevin Durant ended with 39 points on 25 shots and Russell Westbrook recorded his first play-off triple-double as the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 105-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 7 of
their Western Conference semi-finals on Sunday, May 15.
After managing just 11 points in Game 6 against the Grizzlies on Friday, Durant went to the basket early to help the fourth-seeded Thunder cruise to the Western Conference finals for the first time
in 15 years.
Durant said after the game, "I was not aggressive at all. But I stayed with it. I was just positive and confident and kept the faith in the things that got me here."
Oklahoma City dominated the play at the end of the third period, burying Memphis under a barrage of three-point plays and snuffed out any spark of a comeback in the final quarter.
The Thunder will now meet the Dallas Mavericks, who eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in the other conference semi-final.
Game 1 of Western Conference finals is scheduled for Tuesday in Dallas.
Mike Conley chipped in 18 points while Zach Randolph added 17 points for Memphis, which had avoided elimination with a comeback victory in Game 6, but could not become the first eighth-seeded team
ever to reach the Western Conference finals.
"We had a heck of a run," said Grizzlies Coach Lionel Hollins.
Westbrook scored triple-double with 14 points, 14 helpers and 10 boards while James Harden led the Thunder with 17 points.
Durant started slow on Friday with just 1-for-9 shooting, but he overcame the slow start shooting to go 13-of-25 from the field.
Durant notched 13 points during the Thunder’s 30-24 third frame, knocking down two three-pointers during a 14-2 burst. Harden drained a trio of three-point plays, including one that gave the Thunder
their biggest advantage till that point at 69-53, and twice buried three-pointers with the time running down.
The Thunder took a 72-58 lead heading into the final period when Harden dribbled back and forth between the legs of O.J. Mayo and hit a three-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter.
Memphis got only as close as 13 points the rest of the way, while Oklahoma City stretched its lead to as high as 20 points.
Oklahoma City Coach Scott Brooks said, "That team is going to be good for a long time. Going into this series, we knew it was going to be a tough challenge for us. But we were up for that challenge.
Our guys kept believing."
The Thunder held an early 18-15 advantage when Durant poured in eight points, including four points during a 10-2 surge in the first period.
Oklahoma City carried a 21-17 lead into the second quarter and went ahead by 11 points when Durant nailed a three-pointer to make it 40-29.
Durant finished with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting in the first half and the Thunder took a 42-34 margin into the half-time. Durant then collected nine points during the 14-2 flurry that put Oklahoma
City up by 15 points, 66-51. He closed out the run with a block, then a three-point play at the other end that had Hollins arguing for a foul.
Durant then made a free throw in the third period after Hollins was whistled for a technical - one of four.
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