The US Basketball team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, achieved a remarkable 29-point comeback after Memphis lost star guard Ja Morant due to a hip injury, resulting in the Thunder’s 114-108 win on Thursday and moving them to the edge of a playoff sweep.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 points, Jalen Williams contributed 26, and Chet Holmgren tallied 23 of his 24 points during the second half, leading to the second-largest NBA playoff comeback since 1997.
Oklahoma City now holds a 3-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series in the Western Conference first round, with an opportunity to complete the sweep in game four in Memphis on Saturday.
Morant sustained a bruised left hip late in the second quarter while driving toward the basket and leaping into the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort, falling face-first onto the court and writhing in pain for several minutes before exiting the game for good.
The Grizzlies established their biggest lead at 69-40, just after Morant’s exit, with 3:15 left in the second quarter, and Memphis held a 77-51 advantage at halftime. However, Oklahoma City outscored the home team 63-31 in the second half.
Memphis interim coach Tuomas Iisalo noted that Morant’s injury, who led the Grizzlies in points and assists this season, drained his team’s energy and disrupted their execution of plays. The only larger NBA playoff collapse in the last 25 years occurred in 2019, when the Los Angeles Clippers came back from a 31-point deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors.
The play involving Morant’s injury brought back memories of Golden State’s Jimmy Butler, who fell awkwardly on Wednesday, with an MRI on Thursday reportedly revealing a deeply bruised gluteus muscle that left him doubtful for game three against Houston on Saturday.
Scotty Pippen Jr., who led Memphis with 28 points and a personal best of six three-pointers, energised the Grizzlies early on during a 25-5 stretch in which the Thunder struggled with just 2-of-15 shooting. The momentum shifted following Morant’s injury, who had contributed 15 points and five rebounds.
Oklahoma City, which had not come back from a deficit larger than 22 points to win this season, commenced the third quarter shooting 15-of-18 from the field, narrowing the gap to 95-87 heading into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City’s first lead happened when Williams made a free throw with 80 seconds left, giving them a 109-108 advantage.
Holmgren added two more free throws with 57 seconds remaining, and Alex Caruso scored on a fast break layup to extend the lead to 113-108, while Memphis failed to score in the final 4:51 of the game.
