Trailing by double-digits in the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder came
back to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 99-95 on Sunday night in Chesapeake Energy
Arena. The Grizzlies fell to 25-40 on the season and 10-23 on the road. The
Thunder improved to 39-24 on the year and snap a four-game losing streak.
Memphis has now lost nine-straight games against Oklahoma City, who now lead the
season series 2-0.
The Thunder, who entered tonight leading the league in opponent turnovers (17.3
per game), forced the Grizzlies into 22 turnovers, the second-most by Memphis
this season. Oklahoma City finished with 14 turnovers, but the Grizzlies
outscored them 16-13 in points off turnovers.
Late in the fourth quarter, Memphis led 91-81 with 4:52 left in the game.
Oklahoma City then went on a 17-4 run – highlighted by a 26-footer by Russell
Westbrook – to tie the game up at 93 apiece with 1:04 remaining. Westbrook then
connected on a pull-up jumper from 18 feet out to put Oklahoma City back up
95-93, their first lead since the 3:16 mark of the second quarter. After calling
a timeout, Memphis ran an inbounds play that game Wright an open corner three,
but missed. The Grizzlies were forced to foul, as Dennis Schroder made both free
throws to give the Thunder a two-possession lead. Wright quickly raced down to
make a layup, the first Grizzlies basket in over seven minutes, cutting the
deficit to 97-95 with 9.1 seconds left. Terrence Ferguson knocked down both free
throws with 6.5 ticks left, putting the game away. The Thunder outscored the
Grizzlies 32-20 in the final quarter, as Memphis made only 6-of-21 (.286) shots
in the period while Oklahoma City went 11-for-24 (.458).
Avery Bradley led all scorers with 27 points to with a game-high seven assists
while also getting five rebounds and two steals. Bradley now has three 20-point
performances this season, all coming in his nine games with the Grizzlies. Delon
Wright finished with 17 points, tying his season-high, to go with eight boards
and six assists. Wright scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half. Jonas
Valanciunas logged his 10th double-double of the year, finishing with 16 points
and 13 boards while blocking a game-high three shots. Valanciunas now has a
double-double in five of his seven games since coming to Memphis. Bruno Caboclo
added 11 points and four rebounds.
The Grizzlies shot 35-for-79 (.443) overall in the game while the Thunder went
33-for-93 (.355) from the field. The two teams had similar success from beyond
the arc, with Memphis making 7-of-22 (.318) triples and Oklahoma City finishing
9-for-30 (.300). The Thunder won on the glass, outrebounding the Grizzlies
53-44, including a 17-4 edge on the offensive boards. Oklahoma City outpaced
Memphis, scoring 24 fastbreak points while the Grizzlies had 11. Both teams
scored exactly 40 points in the paint.
Westbrook led the Thunder with 22 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to
go with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Adams recorded his 24th
double-double of the season with 13 points and 22 rebounds (eight offensive).
Schroder also had a double-double, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds
while handing out a team-high six assists. Jerami Grant added 13 points and
seven boads. Abdel Nader added 15 points off the bench.
The Memphis defense continued to play well coming out of halftime, holding
Oklahoma City to 6-of-23 (.261) shooting in the third quarter. The Grizzlies
shot 9-for-19 (.474) in the period, and although they turned the ball over six
times, they allowed no points off the giveaways. The Grizzlies went on a 7-0 run
from 9:42 to 7:16 (2:26) to go up 64-51, their largest lead of the game. Bradley
heated up in the third quarter, scoring 11 points and passing out four assists
as Memphis took a 75-67 lead into the final quarter.
The first half was good to the Grizzlies, as they made 20-of-39 (4-9 3P) shots
from the floor while the Thunder were 16-for-46 (3-12 3P). Oklahoma City created
extra opportunities though, outrebounding Memphis 9-1 on the offensive boards.
The Grizzlies committed 11 turnovers in the first half while the Thunder had
eight. Oklahoma City used those turnovers to gain a 13-2 advantage in fastbreak
points during the half. Wright had 15 points in the first half, matching the
most he’s scored in a Grizzlies uniform, to go with five rebounds and five
assists. Adams already pulled down 12 rebounds for the Thunder by halftime.
Memphis didn’t have an issue scoring to start the game, making half their shots
in the first quarter by going 10-for-20 (2-3 3P) from the floor. The Thunder
shot 10-for-26 (.385) in the quarter, including 3-for-7 (.429) from deep. The
Grizzlies struggled to box out the Thunder, allowing seven offensive rebounds
throughout the quarter which led to four second chance points. Wright scored
nine-straight points for Memphis to help lead 28-25 after one period of play.
The Grizzlies return home to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, March
5, at 7 p.m. CT in FedExForum. Tuesday night will also be Hoops for St. Jude
Tip-Off Night. Come out to the game, tune in to FOX Sports Southeast presented
by Pinnacle Financial Partners or listen on 92.9 FM ESPN to follow the action.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase single-game tickets
can do so now by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to
grizzlies.com/tickets. Single Game Tickets are also available for purchase at
the FedExForum Box Office, ticketmaster.com, online at grizzlies.com/tickets or
by calling 1-800-4NBA-TIX. For more information on the Grizzlies, ‘like’ Memphis
Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram (@memgrizz).
Download or Update the Official Grizzlies App
Player: Avery Bradley
Player: Bruno Caboclo
Player: Jevon Carter
Player: Justin Holiday
Player: CJ Miles
Player: Joakim Noah
Player: Chandler Parsons
Player: Jonas Valanciunas
Player: Delon Wright
Media Content: https://www.nba.com/grizzlies/news/postgame/okc-190303
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Memphis Grizzlies, Avery Bradley, Bruno Caboclo,
Jevon Carter, Justin Holiday, CJ Miles, Joakim Noah, Chandler Parsons, Jonas
Valanciunas, Delon Wright, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder
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