Thunder 92, Grizzlies 89 (OT)
Reggie Jackson scored eight of his career-high 32 points in the extra session as visiting Oklahoma City stymied Memphis to even the first-round Western Conference series at 2-2.
Jackson hit six consecutive free-throw attempts in the final two minutes and also grabbed nine rebounds as the second-seeded Thunder notched the pivotal victory to avoid a deep hole. Kevin Durant had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 15 points and nine boards and Serge Ibaka contributed 12 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots for Oklahoma City, which hosts Tuesday’s Game 5.
Marc Gasol had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Tony Allen added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Grizzlies, who had a 15-game home winning streak halted. Mike Conley had 14 points, 10 assists and four steals but his tying 3-point attempt bounced off the back rim at the buzzer.
The Thunder trailed 80-75 late in regulation before Jackson hit a 3-pointer and followed with a tying floater with 30.8 seconds to go. Memphis possessed an 87-86 lead in the overtime after Conley’s basket with 1:38 to play before Durant hit two free throws 36 seconds later to give Oklahoma City the lead for good.
Oklahoma City held a 42-35 halftime lead and led by as many as 14 in the third quarter before taking a 64-52 edge into the final stanza. The Grizzlies rallied to take a 74-73 lead on Allen’s layup with 3:54 remaining and Gasol swished a free-throw line jumper to give Memphis an 80-75 advantage with 1:20 to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Westbrook was 6-of-24 shooting and Durant was 5-of-21. … The Grizzlies struggled with 13-of-23 shooting from the free-throw line while Oklahoma City was 18-of-20. … Jackson was 11-of-16 shooting after being 3-of-19 over the first three games.