Jalen Williams scored a season-high 26 points, Ajay Mitchell added 23 and Kenrich Williams also posted a season-high 21 off the bench as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied from 21 points down in the second half to stun the host Memphis Grizzlies 117-116 on Friday night.
The Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 71-51 in the second half and extended their winning streak against Memphis to 16 straight games (including the playoffs). The Grizzlies haven’t beaten the Thunder since December 7, 2022. Memphis lost for the sixth time in seven games.
Oklahoma City trailed by 11 (114-103) with 3:32 left when it began a furious comeback. The Thunder went on a 14-0 run and took their first lead since the first quarter on a Kenrich Williams 3-pointer with 1:07 left. Lu Dort capped the run with two free throws with 58.9 seconds remaining for a 117-114 advantage.
Memphis got a putback basket from Jock Landale with 37.3 seconds left, but a frenzied 15-foot jumper from Cedric Coward in the final seconds was blocked by the Thunder’s Alex Caruso.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 23 points and GG Jackson tied a season high with 18 off the bench. Santi Aldama contributed 15 points and Landale 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Oklahoma City, the defending NBA champion, played without starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Gilgeous-Alexander, last season’s MVP, averages 31.9 points per game while Holmgren scores 18.2. Oklahoma City, which started the season 24-1, is 8-6 in its last 14 games.
Memphis was without two-time All-Star guard Ja Morant, who missed his fourth straight game with a right calf contusion. Morant missed 20 of the team’s 38 games due to various injuries. Reports surfaced earlier Friday that the Grizzlies would entertain offers for Morant ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
The Grizzlies built a 20-point lead in the second quarter behind Jackson Jr. and point guard Cam Spencer. Spencer didn’t score in the first half, but had nine assists. He finished with 11 assists.
–Field level media
