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Grizzlies seek 3-1 series advantage over Thunder

May 9, 2011 - 2:35 PM (Sports Network) - The surprising Memphis Grizzlies will attempt to seize control of their Western Conference semifinals set with favored Oklahoma City Thunder when the two teams square off in Game 4 at FedEx Forum.

The Grizzlies took the pivotal Game 3 in the River City on Saturday when Zach Randolph scored 21 points and pulled down a Memphis playoff record 21 rebounds, as the Grizzlies erased a 16-point deficit en route to a 101-93 overtime victory over the Thunder.

Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo each had 18 points for the eighth-seeded Grizzlies, who bounced back from a 111-102 loss on Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead.

Marc Gasol donated 16 points and seven rebounds for Memphis, which outscored Oklahoma City, 15-7, in overtime. Defensive stalwart Tony Allen had 10 points for the Grizz and tortured Kevin Durant throughout the game.

"It was a great battle, and I just thought Oklahoma City played outstanding and had a great game plan," said Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins. "We were just fortunate by the grace of God to overcome it."

Russell Westbrook finished with 23 points, 12 assists and six boards for the Thunder, who saw a 16-point third-quarter lead disappear. Durant added 22 points and 12 rebounds while Serge Ibaka had 14 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in the loss.

"I thought that was a game we had an excellent shot to win," said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. "But give them credit, they kept coming at us and did a better job executing down the stretch than we did."

The Grizzlies trailed by 13 heading into the final period and were fueled by Hollins' decision to play small ball, a decision that amped up the energy for Memphis and had the Thunder struggling to find clean looks in the half-court offense.

Oklahoma City still led 82-71 lead with 7:43 to play in regulation but the Grizz finished things by outscoring the Thunder 30-11 in both regulation and the overtime period from that point on. During that stretch, Durant failed to score, going 0-for-7.

"We were fortunate to get this win, but that's the playoffs," Hollins said. "In order to go further, you always have experience games where you have to do something miraculous in order to win the game. And I thought this was miraculous the way we fought back after being down 16."

Memphis was 3-1 versus the Thunder in the regular season. The two teams have never met in the postseason before.

Game 5 in the series will be back in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.