Thunder Dominates Fourth Quarter for Win in Memphis

Originally Published: Dec 11, 2009 9:44 PM CDT

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Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – After allowing the Memphis Grizzlies to make a huge comeback, the Oklahoma City Thunder came up with a comeback of its own to get a 102-94 win Friday.

The Thunder (12-9) used 52 percent shooting in the first half to lead by as much as 17 and take a 56-42 lead into halftime. The Grizzlies (9-13) responded by dominating the third quarter.

Taking advantage of several Thunder turnovers and cold shooting, Memphis outscored Oklahoma City 28-10 and turned a 14-point deficit into a four-point lead as the fourth quarter began. In the third, Memphis forward Zach Randolph scored 11 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, a franchise record in one quarter.

With the momentum firmly in the Grizzlies’ grasp and the Memphis fans going wild, the roles reversed in the fourth quarter. After forcing a tie at 73, the Thunder went on a 10-0 run to take a lead it would not surrender for the rest of the game.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both had big fourth quarters for the Thunder, and their contributions culminated in a fast break pass-and-dunk from Westbrook to Durant that silenced the crowd and returned the momentum to Oklahoma City.

As Memphis tried to mount one final comeback, Jeff Green made his first basket of the second half on a beautiful reverse lay-up and ended any hopes for a Grizzlies win.

Durant led all scorers with 32 points and had 10 rebounds and four assists. Westbrook scored 23 points, Nenad Krstic scored 15 and Green added 11.

All five of Memphis’ starters scored in double figures, with Randolph leading the way with 19 points and 20 rebounds, which broke his own team record. The normally dangerous Rudy Gay scored 16 points, but the Thunder defense held him to 4-of-16 shooting. O.J. Mayo scored 18 points, Marc Gasol scored 12 and Mike Conley added 20.

The Thunder has now won three of its last four games and improved to 10-0 this season when it scores 100 points or more. This is the first time in five years that the Thunder/Seattle Supersonics franchise has been three games over .500 this deep into the season.