NBA scores 2015: Mario Chalmers and Grizzlies aren’t afraid of the 3 ball and 3 other things we learned

Despite another ridiculous night from Russell Westbrook, the Grizzlies were too much for the Thunder thanks to three-point shooting, plus three other things we learned Monday.

by Liam Boylan-Pett

Nov 17, 2015, 1:00 PM UTC

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

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The Memphis Grizzlies didn't panic when they lost four games in a row. So they certainly weren't going to panic when Russell Westbrook lit up the scoreboard. Instead, they withstood Westbrook's onslaught and put on an offensive clinic of their own as they defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 122-114, on Monday.

Westbrook had 40 points and 14 assists, but it wasn't enough to match five Grizzlies in double figures -- including newly acquired Mario Chalmers with 29 points off the bench -- and a new-found affinity for the three-point shot. The Grizzlies aren't chucking from deep for the heck of it, but they are starting to embrace the importance of the shot -- especially since they're making them. Against the Thunder, the Grizzlies, wearing slick throwback jerseys, were an amazing 12-of-17 from behind the arc.

Now at 6-6, the Grizzlies aren’t where they likely expected to be, but they’re not losing ground in the playoff race in the early season. And they’re not giving games away anymore

The Thunder, meanwhile, are hurting without Kevin Durant, who has missed the past three games after leaving the Thunder's win over the Washington Wizards on Nov. 10. The Thunder are 1-2 without Durant, who was expected to miss seven to 10 days. They were almost able to eke out a win in Memphis on the shoulders of Westbrook, who carried the Thunder from the start with attacking moves -- facing off against defensive stopper Tony Allen or not.

(h/t FanJam)

Westbrook was phenomenal in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to give the Thunder an 80-79 lead. But the Grizzlies’ offense was too much, all because the Mario Chalmers Experiment is working out nicely in Memphis.

Chalmers scored eight points in a row to give the Grizzlies a seven-point lead with nine minutes to play in the fourth -- and they never gave that lead up. Chalmers ended the night with 29 points, and 16 of them came in the final stanza. In his three games with the Grizzlies, Chalmers is averaging 18.7 points in just over 20 minutes per game. He’s helping the Grizzlies most with his three-point shooting. He’s 7-of-12 from deep for Memphis. He’s unlikely to keep hitting shots at that clip, but Chalmers gives the Grizzlies a much needed three-ball threat.

Their three-point shooting has improved drastically over the past two games. Heading into Sunday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Grizzlies were shooting 26.8 percent from deep through 10 games. But they've been great from beyond the arc the last two games, going 9-of-17 in the win over the Timberwolves and then 12-of-17 against the Thunder. Now they're shooting 32.1 percent on the season.

The Grizzlies' aren't necessarily embracing the three-ball just yet -- they take only 17.8 per game, which is the third lowest amount in the league. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile are taking 30 per game. Now that the Grizzlies are making the deep shot, maybe they'll take more.

3 things we learned

Shutdown quarters are a thing for the Boston Celtics. The latest victim was the Houston Rockets. On Sunday, the Celtics held the Thunder to 11 points in the fourth quarter. On Monday, the Celtics and the Rockets were knotted at 55 heading into the third quarter. Then the Celtics turned on their defense -- and it's one hell of a defense -- and held the Rockets to only 13 points in the third as they coasted to an easy 111-95 win. The Celtics' pressure is unrelenting. James Harden, who had only 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting, was flustered all night. Isaiah Thomas had 23 points and six assists to lead the Celtics.

This smothering defense is becoming the norm for Boston, which has won five of the last six. SB Nation’s Paul Flannery put in perspective how well the Celtics are playing:

That's 3 wins in 4 days for the Celtics against Atlanta, OKC and Houston by a total of 44 points.
— Paul Flannery (@Pflanns) November 17, 2015

Look out Eastern Conference, Boston is very, very good.

The San Antonio Spurs still don't look great, but they're winning. After one half in San Antonio on Tuesday, the Spurs led the Portland Trail Blazers, 34-28. That is not a typo, the teams combined for only 62 points through the first two quarters. The offenses woke from the dead in the second half as the Spurs went on to win 93-80, but it's been a pretty consistent theme for the Spurs this season: they haven't looked unstoppable. The problem for the rest of the NBA, however, is the Spurs have plenty of time to figure it out -- and they've lost only twice this season. With a new roster last season, the Cavs were playing .500 basketball for the first half of the season before clicking into high gear. San Antonio keeps winning, and they're not firing on all cylinders. Not even close.

Jimmy Butler is everything for the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose had 23 points to lead the Bulls in scoring, but it was Butler who came up when it mattered most. The Indiana Pacers were down by one and had the ball with five seconds to play. They got it to Paul George, who got into the lane for a running jumper. Butler was there, however, and blocked George's shot to seal the Bulls' 96-95 win. Butler continues to do it all for the Bulls, who can rely on consistent play from him each night. He had 17 points, three rebounds, four assists and one big block on Monday -- it was enough to lead the Bulls to a win.