This was a game of Western Conference contenders, as the
Oklahoma City Thunder flew to Memphis to face the Grizzlies. The match up was filled with lots of
intensity and felt like a playoff game,as Marc Gasol tipped in Zach Randolph’s miss with
0.9 seconds left to give the Grizzlies the win in OT, 90-89. Memphis shot very well in the first half to give them a 10 point lead, although Oklahoma
City started to make a run, the Grizzlies managed to maintain their lead, 44-38 as they
headed into half time. Mike Conely scored 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assist.
Jerryd Bayless had a big game off the bench with 20 points. The big men, Marc
Gasol and Zach Randolph both finished with double-doubles, Randolph, 15 points
and 18 boards Gasol, 14 points and 15 rebounds. Going into the third quarter,
Kevin Durant and Kevin Martin had 10 points apiece at the start, while Zach
Randolph had 12 points for Memphis. This
game was all about defense for the Grizzlies, as the held one of the best
3-point shooting teams in the league to a season low, 35.7%. For Oklahoma City Kevin Durant had 32 points
and 8 rebounds, Russell Westbrook, 20 points and Kevin Martin with 17 points.
Kendrick Perkins didn't contribute too much on the offensive end, but grabbed 16 boards.
In the third quarter, Kevin Durant began to take over offensively, scored 13
straight points, finishing with 15 total giving his team a 57-56 lead. Entering
the fourth, Marc Gasol was fouled; he made his two free throws, giving Memphis
the lead 58-57. Oklahoma City stayed aggressive in the second half after poor
shooting in the first. Both teams battled in the fourth quarter, which included
14 lead changes and 4 ties. With 3.7 seconds left in regulation, Jerryd Bayless
hit a big 3-pointer, and the battle continued in overtime. Tabo Sefolosha hit
the first two points in overtime on a pair of free-throws for Oklahoma City.
Memphis followed with scoring the next 5 points. Stars Kevin Durant and Russell
Westbrook responded with the next following points for the lead, 89-88. But
Memphis wasn't done yet, as Marc Gasol tip-in finishes the game.
The Grizzlies win the season series against the Thunder,
2-1. They are currently tied for third in the playoffs for the western
conference with the Clippers, trailing Oklahoma City by 4 games and are just a
half-game ahead of the high-flying Denver Nuggets. Next for them is tomorrow
night in New Orleans to take on the Hornets.
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