Thunder 04-03-15

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photos-grizzlies-vs-thunder

Photos: Grizzlies vs. Thunder

The Grizzlies tied the Houston Rockets for the second seed in the Western Conference with a 100-92 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at FedExForum.

Oklahoma City led by as much as eight in the second quarter as the Thunder took control of the game early on until Jeff Green took control of the quarter with an impressive performance for the period.

Jeff Green led all Grizzlies scorers with 22 points on 7-of-12 (.583) shooting. Green scored a Grizzlies individual season-high 15 points in the second quarter on a perfect 5-of-5 (1.000) shooting and 2-of-2 from beyond the three-point line. Memphis outscored Oklahoma City 31-23 in the second quarter.

The starting lineup shined for the Grizzlies tonight as they combined to score 81 of Memphis’ 100 points. All starters scored in double-digits including a 19-point effort from Marc Gasol.

In a tight-knit game down the stretch, the Thunder slashed Memphis’ 10-point lead to four with 1:45 remaining in the quarter. Following a Russell Westbrook missed jumped shot with 1:34 remaining, Gasol sank a key 11-foot jumper with 1:15 left on the clock in the final period to cushion the Grizzlies lead to six points.

Nick Calathes provided a solid effort for Memphis’ second-unit with 10 points on lights out 5-of-5 (1.000) shooting.

Enes Kanter carried the Thunder with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Tonight’s effort was Kanter’s 28th double-double of the year (14 with the Thunder). The Grizzlies held the NBA’s leading scorer Russell Westbrook to 18 points on 5-of-20 (.250) shooting.

The Grizzlies will complete their first and only home back-to-back stretch tomorrow night when John Wall and the playoff-bound Wizards come to FedExForum for a 7pm(CT) tipoff.

Box Score | Discuss the game on the Fan Boards.

The Grizzlies homestand continues on Saturday night as the Grizzlies take on the Wizards. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a Z-Bow tie.

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Grizzlies grind out win over Thunder

Find out what Coach Joerger has to say about the game during our live post-game press conference which takes place approximately 10-15 minutes after the final buzzer.

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Postgame press conference: MEMvOKC

Tune in every weekday home game day at 11am (CT) to watch Grizzlies Radio Play-By-Play Announcer Eric Hasseltine, TV sideline reporter Rob Fischer and a special guest player or coach as they discuss everything you need to know before heading to FedExForum.

Tuning in to the game at home? Find your channel.

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Grizzlies Game Day Live: MEMvOKC

By: Daniel Carp, Grizzlies.com Contributor

Record: 42-33Standings: Eighth in Western Conference, second in Northwest DivisionStarting Five: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Dion Waiters, SF Kyle Singler, PF Steven Adams, C Enes KanterHead Coach: Scott Brooks (seventh season with team)

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.

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.

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?

First 3,000 fans will receive a Super Grizz Cape Set.

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.

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.

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.

Russell Westbrook has recorded 10 triple-doubles this season. The most any other NBA team has recorded is six.

grizzlies-vs-thunder-scouting-report

Grizzlies vs. Thunder: Scouting Report

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Thunder 04‑03‑15

Photos: Grizzlies vs. Thunder

Grizzlies grind out win over Thunder

Postgame press conference: MEMvOKC

Grizzlies Game Day Live: MEMvOKC

Grizzlies vs. Thunder: Scouting Report