Grizzlies 98, Thunder 95 (OT)
Mike Conley scored 20 points and Zach Randolph had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as host Memphis defeated Oklahoma City to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.
Tony Allen had 16 points and nine rebounds and Marc Gasol contributed 14 points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies, who squandered a 17-point fourth-quarter lead before reassuming control in the overtime. Beno Udrih added 12 points off the bench for seventh-seeded Memphis, which hosts Game 4 on Saturday.
Russell Westbrook had 30 points and 13 rebounds and Kevin Durant added 30 points, nine rebounds and five blocked shots for second-seeded Oklahoma City. Serge Ibaka had 12 points for the Thunder, who shot just 39.1 percent from the field and committed 16 turnovers.
Durant put Oklahoma City ahead with a 3-point play 51 seconds into the overtime before Conley scored five points during a 8-0 burst as the Grizzlies took a 93-88 lead with 2:05 left. Westbrook and Durant both missed tying 3-pointers on a possession with less than 30 seconds to play before Memphis’ Courtney Lee hit two free throws to make it a five-point margin with 10.9 seconds to go.
A basket by Kosta Koufos gave the Grizzlies an 81-64 lead with 7:43 remaining in regulation but Memphis then went 13 possessions without scoring – 0-for-8 shooting to go with five turnovers – as the Thunder rattled off 17 consecutive points and tied it at 81 on Westbrook’s 3-pointer with 57.3 seconds to play. Back-to-back baskets by Allen gave the Grizzlies a four-point edge with 33.1 seconds left before Westbrook knotted the score with a four-point play with 26.6 seconds to go.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Grizzlies had a 34-9 edge in bench points as the Oklahoma City reserves were a combined 4-of-18 shooting. … Durant missed all eight of his 3-point attempts as the Thunder were 5-of-28 from 3-point range. … Memphis possessed a 62-48 edge in points in the paint.