And Zach Randolph again was too much for Jeff Green to handle inside. But on Friday night, in a game that featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes, the Grizzlies showed how much they’ve grown. 11 against a Memphis squad that had yet to find its way.
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Oklahoma City won an eight-point decision here on Dec. "It was just incredible intensity between two young teams trying to prove to each other who has a step ahead of the other,” said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.įor now, the Thunder still holds the slight lead, as ruled by the only judge that matters: its half-game advantage in the Western Conference standings. The Thunder’s star couldn’t have prevented Gay’s game-winner, but with 22 seconds remaining, he had the ball ripped from his hands by Memphis center Marc Gasol following what would have been a big rebound.Īnd though no one inside Oklahoma City’s locker room would admit to it after Durant’s wayward game-winner, the intensity on the court throughout the game’s 48 minutes demonstrated how badly both teams wanted to send a message to the other. After his game-winner, Gay strutted down the middle of the court toward his bench, smugly staring at his home fans while they supported his swagger with a return roar that suggested they were more than satisfied with their team’s franchise-record 10th straight home victory.ĭurant had his shot to play spoiler, but his leaning 3-point attempt from the left wing out of an out-of-bounds play bounced harmlessly off the right of the rim. Gay’s 20-foot jumper over Durant from the top of the key with 1.3 seconds remaining lifted the Grizzlies to an 86-84 win on Friday night.
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Memphis’ Rudy Gay upstaged Kevin Durant, and the Grizzlies proved they indeed are on par with the Thunder.