With Russell Westbrook shooting 0-13 and staring big men Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka combining to shoot 4-14, the Oklahoma City Thunder needed Kevin Durant to do big things. The two-time scoring champ complied, racking up 32 points on 10-17 shooting (2-5 on threes, 10-11 on free throws) as the Thunder beat the Memphis Grizzlies 98-95.
Thunder Vs. Grizzlies: Kevin Durant Rescues Oklahoma City, Who Notches 98-95 Win Over Memphis
Kevin Durant scored 32 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Memphis Grizzlies, but the win will be overshadowed by a reported verbal altercation between Durant and Russell Westbrook.
James Harden pumped in 20 off the bench on 5-11 shooting (3-7 on threes). Only Perkins joined Durant and Harden in double figures.
In the aggregate, Memphis shot even worse than Oklahoma City, and stayed in the game thanks to a dearth of turnovers and a monster night on the offensive glass from the starting frontline. The Grizzlies had 19 offensive boards in 48 opportunities. Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph each finished with 12 rebounds; Z-Bo led the unit in scoring with 24, but shot just 7-20. He was 9-12 from the line.
There are two larger storylines emerging from the game: a reported verbal altercation between Westbrook and Durant over the point guard's displeasure with Thabo Sefolosha passing up an open shot, and a very early ankle injury to Memphis point guard Mike Conley. Conley left the game 30 seconds in and didn't return.
For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City. For more on the Grizz, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.
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