Thunder rally from 29 points down
after Morant leaves with injury, top Grizzlies for 3-0 series lead
[April 25, 2025]
By CLAY BAILEY
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Chet Holmgren scored all but one of his 24
points in the second half and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a
29-point deficit after Ja Morant left the game with a hip injury and
beat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 on Thursday night for a 3-0
series lead.
Morant was hurt with just over three minutes left in the first half
and Memphis leading 67-40. The Grizzlies led by 26 at halftime.
The 29-point comeback was the second-largest in an NBA postseason
game since play-by-play data began being recorded in the 1996-97
season.
The only one bigger: A comeback from 31 points down by the Los
Angeles Clippers against Golden State on April 15, 2019.
The top-seeded Thunder, who won Game 1 131-80 in the fifth-biggest
margin of victory in NBA postseason history, didn’t even have a lead
in this one until the fourth quarter. Now, they can close out the
series Saturday.
“I just through out of halftime, we kind of reconnected to who we
are. We were very out of character in the first half,” Thunder coach
Mark Daigneault said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points for Oklahoma City and Jalen
Williams added 26, splitting a pair of free throws with 1:20 left to
give the Thunder their first lead.
Scotty Pippen scored 28 points, two short of his career high, to
lead Memphis. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points as Memphis saw its
substantial lead evaporate in the second half.
“Understanding leads,” Williams said. “You're never too far ahead,
and you're never too far behind.”
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) handles the ball
against Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard, right, in the first
half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April
24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
“They built a 29-point lead in a half, so we felt
like all we had to do was build our own 29-point lead,” GIlgeous-Alexander
said.
Morant went down hard under the basket with just over three minutes
remaining in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder of
the game early in the second half with a left hip contusion.
Memphis was on a fast break after a Thunder turnover. Pippen was
driving to the basket when he dropped the ball off to Morant at the
rim. Luguentz Dort, who was stumbling at the time, fell into Morant
while he was in the air, sending the Morant crashing to the floor.
The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul, but was ruled a common
foul.
Morant had 15 points and five assists.
Memphis carried a 77-51 lead into the break. But the Thunder used a
36-18 scoring edge in the third quarter to claw back,
“I think it is very hard to describe to anyone who hasn't been in
that situation,” Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo said.
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