The Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to secure a much-needed a 99-95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, thanks to some clutch buckets down the stretch from Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, knocking down a huge three-pointer to tie things up at 93-93 with 1:04 remaining.
WE. ARE. TIED. pic.twitter.com/7jGqfle32X
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 4, 2019
He followed it up, burying a mid-range jumper to give the Thunder the lead for good at 95-93 with 31.9 seconds left.
Russ and his go-ahead bucket. pic.twitter.com/YwLOLLb9fO
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 4, 2019
Delon Wright missed a three-point attempt with 22 seconds left that would have given the Grizzlies the lead, leaving Dennis Schroder and Terrance Ferguson to ice the game at the free throw line.
Westbrook finished the game with 22 points on the night, adding six rebounds and five assists, while big man Steven Adams dominated inside with 13 points and 22 rebounds, just one shy of tying his career-high. Schroder added 17 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
The win comes at an important time for the Thunder, who were without All-Star forward Paul George, who missed his third-straight game with a sore shoulder.
With the win, the Thunder reclaimed the third seed in the West after the Portland Trail Blazers leapfrogged them earlier in the day after their 118-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets, now kicking off a four-game road trip, starting in Minnesota on Wednesday.
For the Grizzlies Avery Bradley led them inscoring with 27 points, adding seven assists and five rebounds, while Delon Wright, who started in place of Mike Conley (general soreness), added 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Jonas Valanciunis finished with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double.
