The Thunder had a welcome three-day break in the schedule before Friday's win at Memphis. After a day off earlier in the week, Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks decided to emphasize game-like situations in practice. "We got a lot of scrimmaging in, two-minute games, which was good," he said. "I think it helps our team when we do two-minute games with the score tied. It focuses you to really concentrate on time and score with every shot. Every shot has to be a good shot and you have to take care of the basketball." The extra time off not only gave the team a chance to catch its breath from a breakneck early schedule, it also allowed players to reflect on the success so far. Oklahoma City is a healthy 12-9 after beating the Grizzlies.
The Thunder, though, are trying not to get ahead of themselves, no matter what's being said around them. One national outlet projected nearly 50 wins and playoff spot for Oklahoma City, which won just 23 games last year.
"You never know what's going to happen," Kevin Durant said. "All that stuff, I really don't get that. I don't see how people basically predict the future. This is a season where anything can happen, injuries and trades, you never know what can happen these next couple of months. So that stuff is bonkers. I don't even pay attention to that."
THUNDER 102, GRIZZLIES 94: Oklahoma City moved to a season-high three games over .500 with Friday night's solid win at Memphis. The Thunder (12-9) remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race a quarter of the way through the season.
Kevin Durant had another outstanding game with 32 points and 10 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook scored 23 points. Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green also scored in double-figures as Oklahoma City won for the third time in four games.
The Thunder had a 17-point lead in the first half, but was down 70-66 going into the final period. A 10-0 run in the fourth gave Oklahoma City the lead for good. The Grizzlies had their three-game winning streak snapped. Zach Randolph had 19 points and 20 rebounds for Memphis.
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