Friday, May 2, 2014

Durant scores 36 to lift OKC past Memphis


Kevin Durant matched his series high with 36 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder staved off playoff elimination with a 104-84 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.

The Thunder, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, evened the first-round series at three games apiece.

Russell Westbrook scored 25 points, Reggie Jackson contributed 16 and Durant grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

The Grizzlies trailed by as many as 22 points. Oklahoma City led by 15 at halftime, and Memphis never got closer than that in the second half.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 17 points, and Zach Randolph had 16 points and eight rebounds. James Johnson added 15 points off the bench, and Tony Allen scored 13.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks inserted Caron Butler into the starting lineup in place of Thabo Sefolosha, and Brooks stayed with a smaller lineup for much of the game.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com