Thunder Vs. Grizzlies, Game 6: Memphis Forces Game 7 With 95-83 Win

Memphis Grizzlies, The Anti-Thunder, Cheat Death Again

The Grizzlies have shown that there's another way: a bizarre, terrifying, Russian roulette method to building a winner. So long as Memphis survives, the anti-Thunder nature of the Grizzlies remains something to marvel at.

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies: Zach Randolph Powers Memphis To 95-83 Win

With their backs against the wall on Friday night, the Memphis Grizzlies turned to Zach Randolph, as they've done many times before. Memphis trailed the Oklahoma City Thunder by 10 at halftime, and only Randolph was in double-figures, with 10 points himself. But in the second half, facing elimination and fighting an uphill battle, Randolph took over as the Grizzlies not only caught the Thunder over the final 24 minutes, but easily pulled away in a 95-83 win.

Randolph scored 20 points in the second half, pushing his total to 30 for the game, as the Grizzlies outscored the Thunder over the final 24 minutes, 51-29. It was as if a different team emerged from the locker room in the third quarter and it showed on the scoreline. And Randolph played a large role, dominating the paint and the glass, adding a game-high 13 rebounds to go with his 30 points.

When it was all said and done, the Grizzlies had forced Game 7 and landed a significant body-blow as the Thunder went in for the kill. And with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook struggling to find their roles, Oklahoma City looks as vulnerable as ever heading into the seventh, and final, game of the series. Memphis may be the underdog, but Randolph and the Grizzlies seized momentum and are one game away from knocking off another giant in the 2011 NBA playoffs.

The Grizzlies and Thunder take the court for Game 7 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

Check out the rest of this StoryStream for more on Game 6. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Thunder blog, Welcome To Loud City, and our Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver.

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies Final Score: Memphis Forces Game 7 With 95-83 Win

The Memphis Grizzlies cheated death again on Friday night, forcing Game 7 with a 95-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the series tied at three and the Dallas Mavericks resting on their laurels, the Thunder and Grizzlies with stretch their series to the bring with a seventh, and decisive, Game 7 on Sunday.

Zach Randolph was a force for the Grizzlies, scoring a game-high 30 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the win. O.J. Mayo added 16 points and Mike Conley played the role of distributor, finishing with 11 points and 12 assists. Tony Allen was also in double-figures with 12 points.

Russell Westbrook scored a team-high 27 points for the Thunder, but had just four assists. Kevin Durant scored 11 points, taking just 14 shots for the game. James Harden came off the bench to add 14 points, but was hardly a factor in the second half.

The eight-seeded Grizzlies, after slaying the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, have a chance to slay another giant on Sunday as they take on the Thunder at 3:30 p.m. The winner moves on to face the Dallas Mavericks, who swept the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this week.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Thunder blog, Welcome To Loud City, and our Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver.

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies Score: Memphis Comes Roaring Back In Third Quarter

The Memphis Grizzlies took momentum into the locker room at the half after Shane Battier drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut the Oklahoma City Thunder's lead to 10 points, 54-44. And in the third quarter, the momentum carried over as the Grizzlies came roaring back to take a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, 72-68.

Zach Randolph continued to fire in the third, scoring eight points to push his total to 18 for the game. O.J. Mayo is also in double-figures with 12 points. Tony Allen has nine, Marc Gasol has eight and Tony Allen has seven points, thus far.

It's the Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden show for Oklahoma City. The three are the only Oklahoma City players in double-figures through three quarters. Westbrook has a game-high 19 points, with Harden adding 14 off the bench. Durant has 11 points.

Memphis is trying to stave-off elimination, down 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Thunder blog, Welcome To Loud City, and our Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver.

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies Score: James Harden, Russell Westbrook Give Oklahoma City Halftime Lead, 54-44

A late burst by James Harden near the end of the second quarter gave the Oklahoma City Thunder some breathing room as they look to put away the Memphis Grizzlies to advance to the Western Conference finals. Harden hit back-to-back threes with just over a minute to go, stretching the Thunder's lead out to 13 with halftime looming. But a Shane Battier buzzer-beater sent Memphis into the locker room with a little momentum and cut the Oklahoma City lead to 10 points, 54-44.

Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 15 points in the half. James Harden provided a lift off the bench, scoring 12 points on 4-4 shooting from the field. Kevin Durant added seven points and four rebounds in the half.

Zach Randolph was the only Memphis player in double-figures with 10 points in the first half. Marc Gasol added six points and six rebounds, with Sam Young adding seven points off the bench.

Oklahoma City leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2, and is just 24 minutes from closing the Grizzlies out to earn a berth in the West Conference finals. The Dallas Mavericks await the winner of the Thunder-Grizzlies series after sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the week.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Thunder blog, Welcome To Loud City, and our Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver.

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies Score: After Confusion, Memphis Leads, 23-21

There's a bit of confusion taking place in Memphis on Friday night. We're at the end of a quarter in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals, and according to most sources, the Thunder and Grizzlies are tied, 23-23.

I say "most sources" so as to exclude the folks on the ESPN broadcast. Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and company are sticking with the account of their stats man, who insisted that the score was 23-21.

After the break, the crew relented and broadcast the score as 23-23 without acknowledging the apparent error. Well, mistakes happen. Anyway!

UPDATE: Credit to the ESPN broadcast, which was initially right: everyone is now in agreement that the Grizzlies did indeed lead the Thunder at the end of the first, 23-21.

Things became chippy late in the quarter, when the Grizzlies' Shane Battier and the Thunder's Russell Westbrook exchanged some words. The incident escalated, and although it didn't become physical, Westbrook was assessed with a technical foul, as were his teammate, Serge Ibaka, and the Grizzlies' Zach Randolph.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates. And for more on these teams, check out SB Nation's Thunder blog, Welcome To Loud City, and our Grizzlies blog, Straight Outta Vancouver.

Memphis Grizzlies' Game 6 Adjustments: Get It To Zach Randolph In The Right Spots, Maintain Floor Balance

Thunder Vs. Grizzlies, Game 6: Last Gasp For Zach Randolph, Memphis

Not many storybooks feature characters like Zach Randolph, so as long as the Memphis Grizzlies survive, the world will be holding its breath. This mystical and maybe even mythical run through the NBA Playoffs -- which feature only the league's second 1-8 upset in the best-of-seven era -- could come to an end at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Thunder own a 3-2 lead over the Grizzlies, who play host on Friday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). The teams split the previous two games at the FedEx Forum, with a triple-overtime thriller in Game 4 giving OKC the breath they needed to vault ahead with a Game 5 blow-out.

Now it's up to Memphis to preserve its last gasp. The Grizzlies looked exhausted as the Thunder ran them out of the gym at the Ford Center on Wednesday; with about half of Game 5 and a full off-day to recover, we'll likely get a more spirited effort. Vegas certainly thinks so: the Grizzlies are 1.5-point favorites.

Be sure to check out our Thunder vs. Grizzlies hub for full series coverage. For more on the Thunder, visit Welcome To Loud City. For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.