Oklahoma City staged a dramatic 29-point comeback to beat Memphis 114-108 on Thursday night, taking a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round playoff series and pushing the Grizzlies to the brink of elimination.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge with 31 points, while Jalen Williams added 26.
Chet Holmgren was pivotal after halftime, scoring 23 of his 24 points in a dominant second-half performance that saw the Thunder outscore Memphis 63-31.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Holmgren said. “They hit us first, but we did what we had to do and came away with a win.”
The Grizzlies appeared in control, building a 29-point lead shortly after Ja Morant exited late in the second quarter with a bruised hip.
Morant collided mid-air with OKC’s Luguentz Dort and fell awkwardly, remaining on the floor in visible pain before being ruled out for the rest of the night.
Without their star guard, Memphis unraveled. Interim coach Tuomas Iisalo admitted the injury deflated the team both mentally and tactically. “Not only the energy but the execution dropped drastically,” he said.
The 29-point comeback was the second-largest in NBA playoff history since 1997, surpassed only by the Clippers’ 31-point fightback against the Warriors in 2019.
Game four is set for Saturday in Memphis, where the Thunder will look to complete the sweep. Morant is undergoing further evaluation, with his status for the next game uncertain.
