Thunder Vs. Grizzlies, Game 7: Kevin Durant Leads Oklahoma City In Closeout Rout

In the end, it seems like it’s going to be just as the script said it should be for the Thunder: Kevin Durant is firing on all cylinders, and Oklahoma City is proving its worth in front of a raucous home crowd against the Grizzlies in Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinals series.

A late 17-4 run by the Thunder, including two Durant threes, helped Oklahoma City build a 69-53 advantage, their biggest of Game 7, before the Grizzlies rallied to cut the Thunder’s lead to 69-58. James Harden’s three with under five seconds left, though, pushed Oklahoma City back up by two touchdowns, at 72-58, and leaves the young Grizzlies with a deep hole entering the final quarter of Game 7.

The worries about Kevin Durant not being able to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference Finals? Through one half, with the Thunder up 42-34 on the Grizzlies, it’s safe to say that Oklahoma City’s stringy scorer is on the way to dispelling them.

Durant’s scoring has been Oklahoma City’s constant in the franchise’s first Game 7 since moving from Seattle. He has 18 points, leading all scorers, and has already eclipsed his scoring output in Game 6 of this series.

Much has been made about how well Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook coexist during the Thunder’s Western Conference Semifinals series against the Grizzlies. In the first quarter of Game 7, they’ve made things work.

Durant has eight points, leading all scorers, and Westbrook follows him closely with six. That scoring has helped the Thunder take a 21-17 lead on Memphis after one quarter in Oklahoma City.