• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Grizzlies visit Thunder for decisive Game 7

May 15, 2011 - 2:49 PM (Sports Network) - The upstart Memphis Grizzlies will try to extend their incredible playoff run when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder for Sunday's decisive Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Zach Randolph had 30 points and 13 rebounds on Friday as the Grizzlies staved off elimination with a 95-83 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 6.

"It ain't over yet," said Memphis coach Lionel Hollins.

Guard O.J. Mayo, who got the start in place of Sam Young, scored 16 points and Mike Conley had 11 points and 12 assists.

"We had no choice but to get juiced tonight or we were going to go home," said Mayo. "I don't think nobody here wanted to go home. ... It's not over until someone wins four games and one team advances and the other team goes home."

Indeed, the eighth-seeded Grizzlies evened the series at 3-3, pulling away in the fourth quarter of a seesaw contest.

Russell Westbrook scored 27 to pace the Thunder, but Kevin Durant got into foul trouble early and was held to just 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting.

"You're not going to see a lot of games like you did tonight," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said of Durant, the NBA's leading scorer each of the last two seasons. "He's one of the best at bouncing back. I'm expecting a better game."

The fourth-seeded Thunder led by as many as 13 points, but couldn't hold off a Grizzlies team fighting for its season in front of a hopeful home crowd looking for a diversion from the recent floods in Memphis.

The lead changed hands six times, but never after Mayo's layup put Memphis ahead 67-65 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter. The Grizzlies had to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit to even get into that position.

Hounded by Shane Battier all game, Durant went just 1-of-10 in the second half as Memphis took control of the game. Nine of his 14 shots were three-point attempts (1-for-9) and he finished with five fouls.

"I felt good. I felt like the ball was going to come back around so I was being patient. But the shots weren't falling," said Durant. "It's going to be a tough Game 7 at our place, so I'm looking forward to it."

The Grizzlies, after picking up their first playoff win and knocking off top- seeded San Antonio in the first round, are just one win away from becoming the first No. 8 seed to reach the Western Conference finals. Memphis is already the only No. 8 seed in West history to win seven games in a single postseason, besting the previous high was six by the 1993-94 Denver Nuggets.

"This is where we want to be, playing Game 7. It's going to be tough to win that game in Oklahoma City, but we believe we can do it," said Randolph.

The Thunder, three seasons into their relocation to Oklahoma City, are on the brink of the franchise's first conference finals since 1996, when the Seattle SuperSonics beat Utah in seven games before losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.

The teams are vying for the chance to play the Dallas Mavericks, who swept the Lakers in the other conference semifinal.

"We'll leave it all on the floor in Game 7," said Durant.

This marks the first series in the 2011 postseason that has gone the distance. Home teams are 21-7 in Game 7s over the past decade with Orlando being the last road team to pull off an upset, topping Boston in the first round in 2009.

The OKC franchise hasn't played a Game 7 since 1997 as the Sonics, losing to Houston in the West semifinals. The Grizzlies have never played a Game 7 in their history.

"When you get to Game 7, the team that plays the best is going to win," Hollins said. "It may not be pretty. It's going to be the team that's aggressive, that does all the things necessary."

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