By: Daniel Carp, Grizzlies.com Contributor
Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 42-33
Standings: Eighth in Western Conference, second in Northwest Division
Starting Five: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Dion Waiters, SF Kyle Singler, PF Steven Adams, C Enes Kanter
Head Coach: Scott Brooks (seventh season with team)
Last time out
Another triple-double from point guard Russell Westbrook was not enough to propel the Thunder past Dallas, falling 135-131 to the Mavericks Wednesday in Oklahoma City. In a game that featured no shortage of offensive firepower, the teams went into the final quarter tied. The Thunder fought back after Dallas opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run, but it was simply not enough.
Small forward Chandler Parsons hit a turnaround jumper with 13.0 seconds to go to give the Mavericks a 134-131 lead, and Westbrook's 3-point attempt in the closing seconds fell off the mark.
Westbrook finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Thunder, which also got 32 points off the bench from Anthony Morrow and 30 points and 16 rebounds from Enes Kanter. Oklahoma City became the first team to lose a game with three 30-point scorers since the Portland Trail Blazers in 1997. Monta Ellis notched 26 points for Dallas.
Last time versus Memphis
The Grizzlies and Thunder haven't matched up since Feb. 12, when Oklahoma City glided into the All-Star break with a convincing 105-89 victory at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder rode a 15-0 run late in the second quarter to open up a 60-42 lead and never looked back from there.
Small forward Kevin Durant poured in 26 points and added 10 rebounds, and Westbrook added 24 points, eight boards and nine assists for Oklahoma City. Zach Randolph tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies. The Thunder held Memphis to just 37.2 percent shooting on the game. Normally one of the league's most unselfish teams, just 13 of the Grizzlies' 32 field goals were assisted.
Key matchup
For the last two months, the Thunder have lived and died with the play of Westbrook. His battle with Mike Conley will go a long way in deciding the outcome of Friday's contest. Westbrook's run of other-worldly play is well-documented, but Conley is quietly playing some of his best basketball of the season down the stretch. He averaged a season-low 13.7 points per game in the month of March, but did so shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc. In the process, he dished out 5.2 assists per game—his highest average for a month since December. But the question remains: will Conley have the energy to make an impact offensively after chasing around Westbrook all night on the defensive end?
Game night giveaway
First 3,000 fans will receive a Super Grizz Cape Set.
Misc. Notes:
Man on a mission
Since the Thunder lost Durant Feb. 19, Westbrook has elevated his game to a level the NBA has not seen in quite some time. In 21 games since the All-Star Break, Westbrook is averaging 31.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game and has recorded eight triple-doubles.
Injury notes
Shooting guard Andre Roberson and power forward Nick Collison have each missed the last two weeks of action with the Thunder, both battling ankle injuries.
Playoff push
Oklahoma City is in the thick of the Western Conference playoff hunt, leading New Orleans by 1.5 games for the conference's eighth and final playoff spot with seven games remaining on its schedule. The Grizzlies are tied with Houston at 51-24 for second place in the conference, but hold a tiebreaker over the Rockets for the No. 2 seed because of a better division record.
One obscure stat
Russell Westbrook has recorded 10 triple-doubles this season. The most any other NBA team has recorded is six.