NBA scores 2015: The Thunder are coming and 3 other things we learned

The Thunder are just a half-game out of the Western Conference playoff picture thanks to a beat down of the Grizzlies.

Feb 12, 2015, 2:00 PM UTC

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Slowly but surely, the Thunder are becoming the team they were expected to be this season. It has been a bumpy ride, filled with a litany of injuries to key players, but the Thunder are now just a half-game behind the Suns for the eighth seed in the Western Conference after a 105-89 domination of the Grizzlies on Wednesday night. The victory has Oklahoma City a season-high three games above .500 with a record of 28-25.

Kevin Durant set the tone early, scoring 13 of his game-high 26 points in the first quarter. The Thunder raced out to a nine-point lead after the opening frame, shooting 57.9 percent from the field against the normally stingy Grizzlies defense. Memphis' bench cut into that lead in the second quarter, but Oklahoma City blew the game open with its starters to close out the half.

After Serge Ibaka returned with the Thunder leading 43-40, Oklahoma City closed the half on a 23-8 run to take a 66-48 lead into the half. Ibaka’s interior defense helped stymie the Grizzlies’ offense, and the Thunder effectively turned defense into offense to extend the lead. Oklahoma City racked up 12 fast break points in the second quarter, avoiding the type of grind-it-out style that favors Memphis.

The Thunder's 66 first-half points were the most the Grizzlies have allowed in a half all season, and it's even more impressive considering Oklahoma City scored just 74 points all game in a loss at Memphis on Jan. 31. The Thunder slowed down offensively in the second half, but the margin never reached single digits again.

In addition to Durant's 26 points, Russell Westbrook had 24 points despite shooting just 4-of-15 from the field. Westbrook went 15-of-15 from the free throw line, with 13 of those makes coming in the first half:

Russell Westbrook made 13 FT without a miss in one half for the 2nd time this season. No other NBA player has done that even once this yr.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 12, 2015

Westbrook nearly notched a triple-double by adding nine rebounds and nine assists. Nick Collison had his best game all season off the bench, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 28 minutes, all season highs.

Oklahoma City has won five of six games since that ugly loss in Memphis, with two of those wins coming against West playoff teams and another coming on the road in New Orleans. The Thunder offense has come alive during this stretch, putting up 116.1 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. That’s the top mark in the league during the last six games.

With Oklahoma City getting its mojo back, it’s hard to see the Thunder missing the playoffs unless there’s another major injury. Durant will likely have to deal with some soreness in his surgically repaired foot for the remainder of the year, but as long as he can stay on the floor, it shouldn’t be a big issue. The rest of the West is on notice.

3 other things we learned

The Clippers have a hex on James Harden: Harden has dominated most of the league this year, but he has had no success against the Clippers, continuing a trend from recent years. The MVP candidate scored just 16 points in the first meeting between these two teams (a 17-point Clippers win), and he managed just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting in a 110-95 Clippers victory on Wednesday. Harden is 0-of-11 from three against Los Angeles this year, and he has struggled from deep against the Clippers during his entire tenure as a Rocket:

Harden's now 7-for-50 from three as a member of the Rockets against the Clippers.
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) February 12, 2015

Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan recorded his second straight 20-20 game and third in six games by scoring a season-high 24 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Jordan took an NBA season-high 26 free throws on the night thanks to Houston intentionally fouling him in the fourth quarter, and although he shot just 12-of-26 from the line for the game, he made four of his last six. J.J. Redick added 20 points and did a heck of a job on defense against Harden. Los Angeles is 2-1 since Blake Griffin got hurt, with two victories over quality Texas teams.

The Celtics beat the Hawks (WHAT?!) and are in play for the No. 7 seed (WHAT?!): The Celtics began selling off parts earlier this season, including star point guard Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green. But thanks to the awfulness of the Eastern Conference and four wins in five games, Boston finds itself just 1½ games behind the Hornets and Heat, the two teams in the final two spots in the East playoff picture. The latest win was a stunner, as the Celtics came from 18 points down to beat the East-leading Hawks on an Evan Turner floater with 0.2 seconds left:

That was the Celtics first 1-point win at home in ten years. Ricky Davis blocked Milt Palacio at the buzzer, 3/16/05. @JalenRose had 35.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) February 12, 2015

The victory was especially improbable because the Celtics shot just 32.3 percent from the field, but the horrific shooting was mitigated by strong defense and dominance on the boards.

It was a bad day for the Wizards: The Wizards received some bad news Wednesday afternoon when tests revealed a "mild stress reaction" in the lower right fibula of starting shooting guard Bradley Beal. The youngster has dealt with several fibula injuries already in his career, so this is mildly concerning. Without Beal, Washington suffered a tough 95-93 loss in Toronto after John Wall missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer. The Wizards had no answer for Lou Williams, who scored 27 points off the bench. The Raptors swept the three-game season series between the two teams, and the loss dropped Washington to 33-21 and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is 36-17 and comfortably alone in second.