Thunder at Grizzlies
THE STORY: One more victory and the Oklahoma City Thunder will advance to the Western Conference finals. The Thunder seek that triumph on Friday when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of the conference semifinals. Oklahoma City routed Memphis 99-72 in Wednesday’s Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series, marking the first time the Grizzlies have trailed in the series. The Thunder’s victory came on the heels of the epic triple-overtime win two nights earlier in Memphis. There was little drama in Game 5 as Oklahoma City dominated the final 2 1/2 quarters and was hardly challenged in the second half by the tired and emotionally spent Grizzlies.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Memphis matched its lowest scoring output of the regular season with its disappointing Game 5 effort. The Grizzlies shot just 35.9 percent and were dominated on the boards, 50-33. Inside standouts Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol combined for just 24 points and 12 rebounds one game after combining for 60 points and 37 rebounds in the triple-overtime contest. Gasol with 15 points was the only Memphis player to score in double figures. The outside game wasn’t working either as Mike Conley (4-for-16), Tony Allen (4-for-13) and O.J. Mayo (2-for-9) all struggled. The Game 4 loss was the first at home for Memphis since March 9.
ABOUT THE THUNDER: A key component of Wednesday’s 27-point victory was that stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook received significant rest with neither player even stepping on the court in the final quarter. Durant scored a team-high 19 points in 31 minutes and Westbrook had 11 points in 25 minutes. The Oklahoma City bench contributed 53 points, led by Daequan Cook, who had 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting and made four 3-point baskets. Nazr Mohammed scored 10 points, James Harden had nine points and Nick Collison added nine points and 10 rebounds. Starting forward Serge Ibaka had three blocks to raise his series total to 17.
WHO'S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Cook is averaging 14 points over the last two games after averaging 2.7 over the first three contests of the series. Allen is averaging just seven points and shooting 30.4 percent over the last two games.
KEY STATISTIC: Cook made more 3-pointers (four) by himself in Game 5 than the entire Memphis team (two).
LAST WORD: “We’ve got our backs against the wall and we’ve got to bounce back and come out at home swinging. We have no other chance to lose another one. We’ve got to go right away and win the next game. There’s no other choice.” – Gasol on the Game 6 task for Memphis.