Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, Jalen Williams had 26 and Chet Holmgren added 24 — including 23 in the second half — to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an improbable 114-108 win over the Memphis Grizzlies to take a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.
The Thunder overcame a 29-point first-half deficit and didn’t lead in the game until Williams dropped in a free throw with 1:20 remaining for a 109-108 advantage. Holmgren added two free throws with 57.4 seconds left and Alex Caruso scored on a breakaway layup with 19.4 seconds to go. The Grizzlies did not score in the final 4:51.
Memphis played without Ja Morant in the second half after he suffered a hip injury late in the first half. Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 28 points to lead the Grizzlies. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22.
Morant had 15 points and five assists before the injury. He was diagnosed with a left hip contusion. Without Morant, the Grizzlies were outscored 63-31 in the second half.
Morant left the game with 3:15 to go in the second quarter after falling hard on his left side while soaring in for a layup on a fastbreak. Morant was undercut by Luguentz Dort on the play and hobbled slowly to the sideline after spending several minutes on the floor being attended by the Grizzlies’ training staff.
Morant returned to the court to take two free throws, which he missed, before being helped to the locker room. He will be evaluated on Friday.
Memphis had suffered lopsided losses in the opening two games of the series in Oklahoma City — by 51 points in Game 1 and by 19 in Game 2 — but played with renewed vigor in their home-opener.
Down 26 at the half, the Thunder outscored the Grizzlies, 36-18, in the third quarter. Midway through the quarter, Oklahoma City trimmed the lead to 10 points, mostly behind Holmgren. Holmgren had 16 points during a 25-9 run to open the quarter. A 3-pointer by Williams as the quarter ended cut the Thunder deficit to eight (95-87).
The Grizzlies built a double-digit lead in the first quarter. The catalyst was Pippen, who had four of the team’s eight 3-pointers in the quarter. The Grizzlies led by as many as 12 on three occasions in the period.
The Grizzlies extended their advantage to 28 points (65-37) midway through the second quarter following a 25-5 run that included 16 consecutive points. Morant scored nine points during the run. Pippen had seven. The lead stretched to 29 points (69-40) with 3:07 to go on a layup by Desmond Bane.
Memphis led 77-51 at halftime by shooting 57.4 percent and committing only three turnovers. The Grizzlies scored only 80 points in Game 1.
