The Oklahoma City Thunder have the chance to take a 2-0 advantage in the series with a win on Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies and after a hard fought victory in Game 1, Kevin Durant and company will be ready for another tough performance at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder play very well at home and despite not having Russell Westbrook for the rest of the playoffs, the team has been able to adjust well and has now won three of the five games since he was injured. Westbrook is out for the remainder of the playoffs following a knee injury that required surgery after it was knocked into by Houston rookie Patrick Beverley.
The Thunder have had to figure out how to win without Westbrook for the first time in his career and so far point guard Reggie Jackson has done a solid job of keeping up with Durant. The end to Game 1 was an intense and entertaining matchup, with Durant hitting the go-ahead shot with under 12 seconds left in a high pressure situation. It was the third time he has done that this playoffs run and he also did it once in Game 3 against Houston.
The final minute of the game was one of the most entertaining of the entire playoffs, as the Grizzlies had a 90-87 lead after a shot by Marc Gasol, which led Durant to his shots on the next two chances, giving the team the lead and the eventual win. The Grizzlies had a good chance to put the defending Western conference champions on their heels, but instead they now are down 0-1 and have to play Game 2 at one of the toughest arenas in the league.
The next sequence could have been deadly to the Thunder, but after Kendrick Perkins turned the ball over, the Grizzlies missed a shot to give OKC a chance to cut the lead to 90-89. With the Grizzlies back on the attack, Mike Conley was about to drive to the lane, but a smart play by Derek Fisher poked the ball out of his hands and allowed Durant to score the go-ahead shot. Soon after, Reggie Jackson was put on the line and made two free throw shots to extend the lead to three.
The final plays of the game were just as exciting as what preceded it, as Quincy Pondexter had a three-point look and was fouled, giving him a chance to tie the game. After missing his first free throw with 1.6 seconds left, he made the second and then missed the third. Kevin Martin was excellent for the Thunder and they will need him to continue playing well, as he had 25 points in the win. Gasol will continue to be the top player for the Grizzlies after scoring 20 points and 10 rebounds and the team will also try to get Zach Randolph more involved.
Prediction: Durant goes off, OKC wins.
