Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, while Jalen Williams scored 26 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder, earning the Memphis Grizzlies, winning 114-108, earning a 3-0 lead in the first round series of the Western Conference.
Shett Holmglen scored 23 of his 24 points on Thursday evening as the Thunder overcame a 29-point first-half deficit. Oklahoma City didn’t lead the game until Williams went 109-108 with 1:20 on free throws.
Holmgren added two free throws with 57.4 seconds left, while Alex Caruso scored on a breakaway layup with 19.4 seconds. The Grizzlies didn’t score in the final 4:51.
“We reconnected who we were (late halfway through),” Oklahoma City coach Mark Deignau said.
“We were very unpersonal in the first half, part of which was related to how well Memphis went and how they landed the first punches and multiple punches.
Memphis played without Ja Morant in the second half after suffering a hip injury late in the first half. Scotty Pippen JR led the Grizzlies with 28 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22.
Morant scored 15 points and five assists 15 minutes before his injury. He was diagnosed with contempt in his left hip. Without Morant, the Grizzlies ruled out 63-31 in the second half.
Morant left the game at 3:14 and then dropped violently to the left in the second quarter, then spiked for a quick layup before leaving the game. Morant was undercut in the play by Luguentz Dort. He spent a few minutes on the floor where the Grizzlies training staff was in attendance before slowly stepping into the sidelines.
Morant returned to court to take two free throws he missed before being rescued by the locker room.
Memphis interim coach Tuomas Issaro said Morant will be evaluated on Friday after the game.
Memphis lost in the opening two games of the series at Oklahoma City with 51 points in Game 1 and 19 points in Game 2, but played with a new vitality in the home playoff opener.
With 26 in the half, the Thunder doubled the Grizzlies 36-18 in the third quarter. Midway through this period, Oklahoma City trimmed the lead to 10 points, mostly behind Holmglen. The 7-foot-1 forward opened the quarter with 16 points on a 25-9 run. A three-pointer by Williams, with the quarter over, reduced the Thunder’s deficit to 95-87.
“Chet had one point at halftime, so I give him a lot of credibility,” Daigneault said. “He was very quiet and calmed down the first half. And the mental toughness to stay there was really impressive. And he did a good job defensively.”
The Grizzlies built a double-digit lead in the first quarter. The catalyst was Pippen. Pippen won four of the team’s eight three-pointers. The Grizzlies scored 12 points in three times in the second half of the period.
The Grizzlies expanded their advantage to 28 points (65-37) mid-quarter after a 25-5 run, including 16 points. Morant scored nine points during the run, while Pippen scored seven points. The lead extended to 29 points 69-40 and went to Desmond Bain’s layup at 3:07.
“We did an amazing job of fighting for 48 minutes, but it’s not enough to compete against this team, and we have to be able to do it,” Isaro said.
Memphis shot 57.4% and committed only three turnovers to lead 77-51 at halftime. Grizzlies only scored 80 points in Game 1.
Clippers and Knicks Clinch Game 3 Wins
Kawhi Leonard recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Los Angeles took Denver to lead the 2-1 series with a compelling victory in Inglewood, California.
James Harden scored 20 points (all in the first half) with nine assists and six rebounds, while Norman Powell also scored 20 with the fifth seed clippers. Ivica Zubac registered 19 points and nine rebounds, while Los Angeles scored the second straight in the first round series of Best of Seven.
Denver star Nicola Zhokic posted 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in his 20th career postseason triple double. Jamal Murray also scored 23 points, with Aaron Gordon adding 15 points and seven rebounds to the fourth seed nugget.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points, while Jalen Brunson added 30, including 12 in the fourth quarter, beating Detroit against New York in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoff series.
OG Anunoby scored 22 points for the Knicks, who took a 2-1 lead in the 7-series in Detroit on Sunday. Branson, who averaged 35.5 points in his first two games, also had nine assists and seven rebounds in Game 3.
Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. led Detroit with 24 points, while Cunningham announced a game-high 11 assist. Dennis Schroeder scored 18 points for the Pistons, who have not won home playoff games since May 2008.