The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped a grind-out overtime game in Memphis with a 92-89 victory over the Grizzlies. The Thunder avoided a disastrous 3-1 hole and return home to Oklahoma City with the series tied at 2-2.
Thunder vs. Grizzlies results; NBA playoffs 2014: Oklahoma City escapes Memphis with 92-89 overtime victory
It wasn’t a pretty game, but the Thunder were able to secure a gritty road win to tie the series in Memphis.
Andy Lyons
Durant struggled throughout the game, shooting just 5-for-21 from the field. Durant finished the game with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Russell Westbrook also had an off night, scoring 15 points on 24 attempts. They combined to shoot an atrocious 11-for-45 from the field. Reggie Jackson stepped up with the Thunder's two lead scorers having bad games, scoring 32 points off the bench.
The overtime period was filled with turnovers and sloppy play, including a few hard falls for Westbrook and Zach Randolph. Eventually the Thunder pulled ahead by one point with 30 seconds left, rebounded a missed attempt from Mike Conley, and delivered two free-throws on the other end to seal the game. Mike Conley attempted a three-point shot in the final possession of the game but was off the mark.
Jackson tied the game at 90 following a turnover from Beno Udrih with 30.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies missed two attempts at the rim and Jackson came up with the rebound. With four seconds left in the fourth quarter -- plenty of time to advance the ball -- Jackson hoisted a near-full court attempt that missed, forcing overtime.
Memphis made their comeback to force overtime through the fourth quarter. Mike Miller drained a climactic three after missing his previous four attempts, and all he could do was shrug in the moment:
Memphis outscored Oklahoma City 28-16 in the fourth as they pulled away in the final minutes. The two teams slogged it out in a slow-paced game that played into the hands of the Grizzlies. Tony Allen continued his impressive defensive performance, going toe-for-toe with Kevin Durant and working hard to deny him possessions and position.
Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies, scoring 23 points as the focal point of the Grizzlies offense while also grabbing 11 rebounds. Allen wasn't just the key to their defensive effort, he also scored 14 points and was huge for a Grizzlies offense that also had a hard time finding rhythm on offense.
Game 5 is Monday in Oklahoma City.
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