NBA 2013 Playoffs

Memphis, TN

Marc Gasol and Mike Conley buried six crucial foul shots in the last minute to carry the Memphis Grizzlies to an 87-81 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder and a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series at FedEx Forum.

Gasol finished with 20 points, Conley and Tony Allen had 14 points each, Jerryd Bayless scored 11 while Zach Randolph finished with eight points and 10 boards for the Grizzlies.

With the victory, Memphis improved to 4-0 at home this postseason. The Grizzlies have lost at home just once in the last three months, having gone 18-1 at FedExForum since Feb. 8.

"We were fortunate down the stretch that some plays went our way. Obviously they beat us in a lot of different areas tonight. For us to come away with the win, we are very happy. We'll take it, but it just goes to show we have a lot of work to do," said Conley,

Kevin Durant scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Thunder, who dominated almost all facets of the game but were doomed by a series-low 36.4 percent shooting from the field.

The Thunder showed their might in the shaded lane, outrebounding (51-44) and outscoring the Grizzlies in the paint (44-30). Oklahoma also dominated the transition game, scoring 23 points compared to just seven by Memphis.

"We did everything but make shots," Durant said after the game.

Reggie Jackson finished with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting with 10 boards while other starters Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha combined for a 6-of-25 shooting from the field.

Reserve guard Kevin Martin scored 13 points on 6-for-17 shooting off the bench for the Thunder.

"That's something we've been doing all year is making shots," Martin said. "We're not too concerned about it. We just gotta keep on competing. We'll figure the shot thing out. That's the easiest part of the game."

Martin's layup with a minute left in the second quarter gave Oklahoma City a 45-44 advantage at the break despite the Thunder shooting just 38.8 percent in the first half.

However, Oklahoma City went just 4-of-20 from the field (20 percent) in the third, allowing Memphis to take a 66-60 lead heading into the fourth.

Randolph put the Grizzlies ahead by 79-73 with four minutes remaining in the game but the Thunder sparked a 9-2 run capped by a three-pointer by Derek Fisher to tie the game at 81.

 

 

 

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Marc Gasol, Mike Conley Star as Grizzlies Take 2-1 Lead