Grizzlies at Thunder
The status of Memphis point guard Mike Conley might not be known until shortly before tip-off as the Grizzlies and host Oklahoma City Thunder square off on Saturday in Game 7 of the first-round Western Conference series. Conley strained his right hamstring in Thursday’s Game 6 and stated he would undergo a heavy regimen of treatment in hopes of being on the floor for the decisive game. The Grizzlies will be without forward Zach Randolph due to a suspension.
The Thunder evened the series with a convincing 104-84 victory on Thursday as Kevin Durant regained his shooting stroke and scored 36 points for his fourth 30-point outing of the series. Durant and running mate Russell Westbrook have experienced bouts of inefficiency in the series while attempting to carry the team offensively. Memphis guard Tony Allen has often been the defender hounding Durant and he was highly despondent after the Grizzlies failed to clinch the series at home. “Now we’ve shot ourselves in the foot and we have to go to a hostile environment now and pretty much show were our heart is at,” Allen told reporters. Randolph was punished by the league for punching Oklahoma City's Steven Adams in the jaw in Game 6.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, SportSouth (Memphis), FSN Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES: Memphis was already shorthanded at the point with Nick Calathes serving a suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy and will be further depleted if Conley can’t play. Veteran Beno Udrih is the lone other option and he had a poor outing in Game 6, scoring two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. Udrih averaged 13 points on 11-of-14 shooting over a two-game stretch early in the series but is only 6-of-23 from the field in the other four games. Conley insists he will play in Game 7 and the Grizzlies will be hoping that occurs because asking Udrih to play 40 minutes and defend Westbrook is a dicey request.
ABOUT THE THUNDER: Durant was billed as “Mr. Unreliable” by an Oklahoma City newspaper prior to Game 6 and came out on fire with 14 first-quarter points en route to matching his best point total in the series. He deflected the criticism as part of the territory but his teammates and coaches were very unhappy with the portrayal. “You don’t get to his level as an NBA player and (become) a great player as he is to have other people motivate you,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “He’s self-motivated. He’s a tremendous kid and does everything for his team and for our organization. We’re proud of him because he gives everything he has.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Conley had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting before being injured after averaging 17.2 points over the first five games.
2. Oklahoma City blocked 11 shots in Game 6 – five by Adams and four by PF Serge Ibaka.
3. Randolph had three double-doubles in the series but shot just 40.4 percent from the field.