Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook weren't needed for the fourth quarter, much less three overtimes, as the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled over the Memphis Grizzlies, 99-72, in a pivotal Game 5 of this Western Conference semifinal series.
Grizzlies Vs. Thunder, Game 5: Memphis’ Performance ‘Just Awful’ In Pivotal Game
So what happened to the Memphis Grizzilies? Was it fatigue from the Game 4 marathon? Was it just talent catching up with them? Or did they just play their worst game of the playoffs at the worst time possible? Grizz blog Straight Outta Vancouver can’t say for sure, other than to say this one was hard to watch.
This one was ugly. We can try and chalk it up to fatigue, but the Grizzlies really just looked flat. Can we really blame fatigue on all the missed layups by the Grizzles? If so, explain the Thunder's performance. I mean, I'll buy into the fatigue argument, but I also think the Grizzlies had mentally checked out early in the 3rd quarter as well. Tough to win playoff games on the road, but this performance was just awful.
Memphis will need to put this loss out of their heads ASAP as they prepare for do-or-die Game 6.
Be sure to check out our Thunder vs. Grizzlies hub for full series coverage. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City. For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.
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