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OKLAHOMA CITY For at first chance while in the series, a new team won a couple adventures in a row.
By Mark D. Smith, US Presswire
And on account of that, the Oklahoma City Thunder undoubtedly are a game from reaching the Western Conference finals immediately after beating that Memphis Grizzlies 99-72 about Wednesday.
BOX SCORE: PHOTO GALLERY: SCHEDULE: Second-round matchups and resultsNBA scoring chief Kevin Durant Daequan Cook by using 18 items in eighteen minutes, which includes 4-for-5 on three-pointers.
The Thunder, way up 3-2, can summary the particular line Friday with Memphis.
"We performed fantastic defense. Everybody has been closed in. It had been an organization effort," Durant claimed following a Thunder got fifty rebounds plus presented the particular Grizzlies to a season toughest 36% shooting.
The Thunder absolutely exhibited simply no outcomes in the triple-overtime video game that they won Monday.
"It weren't during just about all (a problem). We did not let that (possibility of fatigue) whip us," Durant said.
"We had plenty involving energy. We have been somewhat too over hyped from your beginning, but most people cooled down."
"There seemed to be no fatigue factor for us. . I believed each of our folks came within focus," Oklahoma City discipline Scott Brooks said. "You overcom good teams by genuinely doing quite nicely and with very good effort, in addition to most of us did each with these people tonight."
But exactly the same couldn't end up being said with the Grizzlies.
They matched their particular most competitive point complete from the regular season and trialled because whenever they ended up nevertheless energy depleted from this psychological triple-overtime reduction inside their own building which knocked these folks spinning out of control within the series.
They hung around for that first quarter, that was concluded tied 17-17, but trailed 46-35 with halftime but it just travelled downhill.
Zach Randolph
Fellow interior force and Randolph's partner from the potent frontcourt in which centric Memphis into a win throughout Oklahoma City inside Game 1 brought this Grizzlies having 12-15 points. But he does most of their ruin throughout a six-minute grow inside the 3 rd quarter.
The Grizzlies shot your season-worst 36%, matched their cheapest place entire through the regular months and never set up much of a combat within the second half.
"Shots weren't falling for many people but you still should come with excellent hard work and we all failed to provide the item at all," defend Mike Conley said. "They outplayed us all in each part of the actual game. I wish I could let you know why. It just simply wasn't there.
"They strike us and placed reaching us as well as we couldn't fight back."
The Grizzlies had been a ragged collection during the entire sport once shedding the triple-overtime thriller 133-123 with their dwelling the courtroom that will simply anticipation to have re-energized through returning into the FedEx Forum utilizing their season on the range Friday night.
"I don't believe we shall have got a dilemma obtaining up with this one," Conley said. "We obtained humiliated tonight."
They were being much enough behind in which Durant and bloke All-Star Russell Westbrook
Oklahoma City's Nick Collison (FSY) capped a four-point closet by simply switching a good offensive come back right three-point play. When this individual transformed the particular free throw, it done some sort of string of seven consecutive things from the Thunder that will bundle that cause 65-46 delayed within the lastly quarter.
Memphis don't take a position an occasion of a comeback. Too a lot of have missed layups. Too countless simple images in which clanked journey the front rim. Too very little electricity left.
Conley created simply just several with 16 shots, Tony Allen was 4-for-13 in addition to O.J. Mayo 2-for-8 with a cheap night when nothing at all was going in.
"We've acquired our backs against the wall structure as well as we've got to help jump returning and end up at your house swinging," Gasol said. "We have zero additional possibility to reduce another one.
"We've obtained choose right away in addition to win your next game. There's no other choice."
Memphis decided not to achieve 50 points until finally there was 2:04 quit within thirdly quarter, plus the Thunder quickly squelched any kind of hope with just one more crazy comeback.
Collison experienced a two-handed dunk, Cook struck your three-pointer as well as Nazr Mohammed made some sort of layup while in some sort of stringed connected with eleven consecutive Oklahoma City details beginning in the next fraction and the direct mature to be able to 27 just before the two professional poker coaches emptied their own benches regarding the final a number of minutes.
Westbrook have 11 points throughout twenty-five units 50 percent regarding precisely what this individual enjoyed in Game 4. Mohammed added 10 factors and Collison possessed eight factors and 10 rebounds, serving this Thunder to your 50-33 advantage within the boards.
Oklahoma City arrived up drain upon their primary seven items along with flipped this ball over nine times inside the very first quarter, but Memphis would not game and never encouraged by means of over six.
The Grizzlies received simply just eight details off from the actual Thunder's 11 turnovers within the primary 12 minutes.
"Early with when we finally had energy, most of us saved filming ourselves inside the 12 inches through not often known layups and also transforming the ball over throughout change or perhaps not finish around transition," Hollins said. "So that's huge."
When the particular Thunder lastly come up with five consecutive seconds with not a turnover, they will stormed in advance which has a 15-2 operate the later part of from the very first half, displaying your three-pointer by Westbrook plus two-handed slams by simply James Harden plus Durant.
Durant thumped their chest muscles soon after his dunk, having Oklahoma City on it's route to some sort of 46-35 halftime head it would under no circumstances supply up.
The champion on this line will confront the particular well-rested Dallas Mavericks , who seem to ousted the actual two-time protecting champion Los Angeles Lakers in a very carry Sunday.
The Mavericks have their particular first entire train Wednesday.
NOTES:There possess happen to be only 6 months time NBA playoff adventures that will travelled at least three overtimes, and Kendrick Perkins has played within the previous two. He had been having Boston for a triple-OT sport in opposition to Chicago with 2009, prior to Monday night's marathon inside Memphis. . The Thunder emerged on the sport leading all playoff competitors throughout scoring (105.4), no cost dispose of proportion (81.0), preserving rebounds (33.8), whole rebounds (47.1), blocks (8.2) along with personal fouls (26.4). . After Gasol tipped away a second-quarter start ball on it has the approach up, referee Monty McCutchen thrown that do-over although Gasol wasn't looking.
Contributing: Rachel Shuster, Associated Press
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