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Grizzlies survive Thunder in OT, take series lead

May 8, 2011 - 3:15 AM Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - 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 Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal set.

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.

"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. Kevin Durant added 22 points and 12 rebounds.

"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 series will remain in Memphis for Game 4 on Monday.

Oklahoma City took a 76-63 margin into the fourth, but the Grizzlies scored the first six points of the final period. Sam Young's slam had Memphis within seven, 76-69, with under 9 1/2 minutes remaining.

Trailing 82-71 with 7:43 left in regulation, Memphis put together an impressive 15-2 run to take the lead. Mayo and Conley made three-pointers around a Tony Allen slam to cut the gap to 82-79.

Westbrook's jumper with 5 1/2 minutes left proved to be Oklahoma City's last field goal of regulation. Randolph and Conley followed with jumpers to make it a one-point game. After Thabo Sefolosha missed a three-pointer, Allen made 1- of-2 from the foul line to make it 84-84 with 3:19 left.

About a minute later, Mayo stole the ball from Westbrook. Allen was fouled on a layup attempt and made 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to put Memphis ahead by one, 85-84. Durant missed a three-pointer at the other end, and Conley went 1-of-2 from the line to give the Grizzlies an 86-84 edge with 1:47 remaining.

Westbrook tied the game up with two free throws with 52.9 seconds to play. Mayo missed a floater for Memphis, and Oklahoma City took a timeout with 18.9 ticks to go.

After Durant missed a contested jumper, Randolph was off the mark with a three-pointer to send the game into overtime.

Memphis took control early on in the extra session, as Allen made a layup and two foul shots around a Conley layup.

The Grizzlies maintained their margin and put the game away at the foul line. The home team went 7-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final minute.

The Thunder took a 15-8 lead on Durant's jumper with over five minutes to play in the first quarter.

But Memphis closed out the frame on a 14-5 run to go in front. Mayo tallied eight points during the surge, including a reverse layup with 0.4 seconds left for a 22-20 edge.

Oklahoma City used a strong second quarter to create some distance. Down by one, 31-30, with seven minutes remaining, the Thunder ripped off 10 straight points to take the lead back. James Harden and Serge Ibaka each recorded three-point plays before Westbrook made a layup and two free throws for a 40-31 margin.

The teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Oklahoma City took a 51-43 edge into the break.

The Thunder put together a 9-0 run during the middle stages of the third to build a 16-point cushion. Westbrook scored the first seven points of the stretch, which Durant capped with a jumper for a 68-52 lead.

Game Notes

Memphis was 3-1 versus the Thunder in the regular season...Ibaka had 14 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Oklahoma City, which went 21-of-23 from the foul line...Allen had 10 points for Memphis, which went 30-of-44 from the foul line...Randolph recorded his first career 20-20 game in the playoffs...Durant went 10-of-24 from the field and Westbrook finished 7-of-22 from the floor.