The Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 29-point hole to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 on Thursday night, moving one win away from sweeping their first-round playoff series.
Chet Holmgren delivered 23 of his 24 points in the second half, fueling a comeback that now stands as the second-largest in NBA postseason history since 1997.
The top-seeded Thunder took their first lead of the game with 1:20 left when Jalen Williams hit a free throw, capping a 64-31 second-half scoring run.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 31 points and eight assists, while Williams added 26 and Holmgren contributed eight rebounds and five made three-pointers.
The Grizzlies jumped to a 77-51 halftime lead behind 55% shooting and a dominant 25-5 run in the second quarter, aided by Thunder turnovers.
Memphis was in control until Ja Morant exited late in the second quarter after a midair collision with Luguentz Dort led to a hard fall and a left hip contusion.
Morant had 15 points and five assists before the injury and briefly returned to shoot two free throws before leaving the game for good.
The play was reviewed for a flagrant foul but ruled a common foul after Dort, who stumbled into Morant, was found not to have committed excessive contact.
Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 28 points and hit six threes to lead the Grizzlies, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points in the loss.
Oklahoma City outscored Memphis 36-18 in the third quarter, then limited the home team to just 13 points in the final period.
The Thunder, who won Game 1 by 51 points, now hold a 3-0 lead and can close out the series Saturday in Memphis.
Holmgren finished 8-of-16 from the field and hit five of Oklahoma City’s 13 made three-pointers, while the Thunder’s defense forced 16 Memphis turnovers.
Desmond Bane and Zach Edey combined for just 19 points for the Grizzlies, who will face elimination without knowing Morant’s availability for Game 4.
Memphis had outscored Oklahoma City in only one quarter through the first two games but looked poised for a breakthrough until their star guard went down.
