Grizzlies Dominate Oklahoma City at BOK Center

Memphis took a big early lead on the Thunder and cruised to victory in Tulsa.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:59 am

By: News On 6

Grizzlies Dominate Oklahoma City at BOK Center

Originally Published: Oct 12, 2010 11:1 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Fans in Tulsa got a chance to see NBA basketball Tuesday night as the Memphis Grizzlies topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-96.

The Grizzlies jumped out to an early lead by outscoring the Thunder 35-22 in the opening quarter, led by forward Marc Gasol. Memphis strung together a 13-5 run in the first four minutes of the game, eight scored by Gasol.

Down 28-14 with three minutes left in the quarter, second-year guard James Harden strung together six consecutive points to close the gap back to eight points.

Oklahoma City’s deficit continued to grow in the second quarter, as it was outscored 29-23 by Memphis.

Memphis’ dominance continued in the third quarter, as the Grizzles started the second half on a 22-6 run spanning the first seven minutes. Memphis outscored the Thunder 30-12 in the third quarter to take a 94-57 lead into the fourth.

The Thunder managed to outscore the Grizzlies 39-22 in the fourth, including 15 from Harden, but was unable to overcome the 37-point deficit.

Harden led all scorers 23 points, grabbing five rebounds and dished out four assists, while first-year Thunder guard Daequan Cook chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds in his 16 minutes off the bench.

Gasol led the Grizzlies with 19 points and eight rebounds, Darrell Arthur scored 14 and Putnam City graduate Xavier Henry contributed seven points and four rebounds.

Oklahoma City’s preseason tune-up will continue as it plays host to CSKA Moscow’s at 7 p.m. Thursday as it continues its preseason tour of the NBA.