Chet Holmgren had 22 points (9 in the third quarter) and 11 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder went on a 19-5 run in the third quarter to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 118-112.
It was tied at 70 when Holmgren’s 8-foot floater put the Thunder ahead for good with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 7 points and Isaiah Joe made 2 3-pointers as they pulled away to an 89-75 lead with 50 seconds left in the quarter.
The Grizzlies got within 93-91 on Jake LaRavia’s driving layup with 9:32 to play, but Jalen Williams answered with a 14-foot fadeaway, and the Grizzlies got no closer.
Jalen Williams had 23 points and 6 assists, and Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points. The Thunder had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Grizzlies, Desmond Bane had 22 points (12 on 4 3-pointers) and 7 assists.
The Thunder shot 51.7% from the field to the Grizzlies’ 45.7% and outscored them 20-7 on the fast break. The Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 30-17 in 9 minutes with Hayward, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Joe and Wallace on the floor together.