Westbrook ejected as Grizzlies blast Thunder
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marc Gasol scored 25 points, Troy Daniels had 22 and Zach Randolph added 21 to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 114-80 victory Thursday night over the Oklahoma City Thunder, which lost Russell Westbrook in the third quarter to an ejection.
Westbrook, averaging a triple-double (31.7 points, 10.9 assists, 10.6 rebounds), was kicked out of the game with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter after arguing with officials and receiving his second technical foul. The Grizzlies led 61-45 when he departed.
Westbrook, who has 15 triple-doubles this season, left with 21 points, five rebounds and no assists in 23 minutes. He finished as the Thunder's leading scorer. Enes Kanter had 19 points, while Steven Adams grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.
Memphis pushed its lead to 65-45 shortly after Westbrook left, and the Grizzlies led 78-61 entering the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies went ahead 89-62 early in the final period after a soft jumper by Randolph was followed by a Daniels layup. In the closing minutes, Daniels went on a 3-point barrage. He drained five straight in the final three minutes, with his fifth giving Memphis a 37-point advantage -- its largest of the game -- at 111-77.
Westbrook got off to a rough start, going 3 of 7 in the first quarter and committing six turnovers, the most by a player in a quarter this season. The Grizzlies took advantage and led 27-21 after the first 12 minutes. Memphis shot 55.6 percent in the first quarter.
The Grizzlies extended their lead to 17 points in the second quarter, going ahead 55-38 on a fastbreak basket by Tony Allen in the final minute. Memphis was up 55-39 at the break. The Thunder's only lead in the opening half came at 18-17 midway through the opening quarter.
Gasol had 14 points at the half and Randolph had 11 off the bench. Westbrook had 19 first-half points, including 11 straight for Oklahoma City during a stretch in the second quarter.
NOTES: Grizzlies G Mike Conley (toe) was originally expected to play, but was scratched shortly before the game because an infection in his toe. "The pain would just not go away," Grizzlies coach David Fizdale said. Conley suffered a displaced toenail in a loss Monday at Orlando. Grizzlies F Chandler Parsons (knee), who missed the team's game at Boston Tuesday, returned. Parsons had appeared in the three previous games before Boston after missing a month with a bruised left knee. ... Thunder G Victor Oladipo missed his ninth straight game with a sprained right wrist, while G Cameron Payne, a Memphis native, did not play either. Payne, out since breaking his right foot in the preseason, was projected by coach Billy Donovan earlier in the week to return on Thursday.