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The Thunder came back from the dead in Game 3 against the Grizzlies to win 114-108 in Memphis.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 points in the first half Thursday, but the Thunder erased that lead for the second-biggest comeback in an NBA playoff game.
Saturday, Oklahoma City has a chance at a series sweep.
But before we get to that, let’s get to the grades:
MUSSATTO: Why Alex Caruso is perfect playoff player for OKC Thunder
Not sure all those pluses are allowed, but Caruso deserves them and then some. The defensive stopper was magnificent again in Game 3. He had four steals and one block, though it felt like 44 steals. He deflected passes and hounded ball handlers and generally made life miserable on the Grizzlies.
Caruso added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
That followed on the heels of two other top-shelf performances by Caruso. He was plus-30 in Game 1 despite not taking a single shot, then in Game 2 he had 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block.
He’s been a stat-stuffing, game-winning fool so far in these playoffs.
You expect Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to get their points, but Scotty Pippen Jr. torched the Thunder in the first half. He hit 7 of 10 shots from the floor, including six from behind the arc.
And lots of times, the Thunder defender wasn’t within a step of Pippen.
He got hot, but the Thunder allowed him to stay hot. Pippen finished the first half with 23 points.
As bad as the Thunder was guarding Pippen in the first half, it was that good in the second half.
Now, part of the equation was Ja Morant’s injury. Hurt late in the first half, the Grizzlies star didn’t return, and that allowed the Thunder to re-allocate some defensive resources. The change was immediately noticeable in the second half. On the Grizzlies’ first possession after halftime, Pippen tried to get to the basket but was hounded into a miss by Lu Dort.
Pippen’s frustration seemed to grow quickly; on a drive to the basket, he stuck out his foot and connected with Isaiah Hartenstein’s midsection. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant one.
Then late, with the Thunder trying to build on a three-point lead, Pippen was still being hounded. This time, Caruso managed to get a hand on the ball and poke it free. The loose ball ultimately led to a jump ball that the Thunder won on a Zach Edey foul.
Pippen’s only points in the second half were two third-quarter free throws and one fourth-quarter 3.
More: Ja Morant injury is result of Lu Dort's 'clean play' in Thunder-Grizzlies NBA playoff game
You wonder if Mark Daigneault should ban Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the gym for a day. Make the MVP finalist go walk around Beale Street, tour the Civil Rights Museum, eat at Central BBQ. Because right now, it looks like SGA is in his own head.
Sure, 10 of 26 shooting for 31 points might be above average for lots of players, but the standard that SGA has set is higher.
And there were some clangers.
Worst among them was a blown layup in transition with the Thunder trying to complete its comeback in the fourth quarter. Had Caruso not been there to snag with ricochet and score a putback, the miss might’ve haunted the Thunder.
SGA had signs of breaking out of the funk that he’s been in, but we definitely haven’t seen peak Scoring Shai in these playoffs yet.
The Thunder had some players in foul trouble. Hartenstein. Dort. But most notable was SGA. He picked up his fifth foul with more than 8 minutes left in the game, and the Grizzlies went at the Thunder superstar.
Repeatedly, they seemed to be hunting him, trying to put him in bad situations and get him to pick up that sixth and disqualifying foul.
But SGA wasn’t baited. A time or two, he had to give up something to avoid a foul, but for the most part, he played solid defense and got stellar defensive help from his teammates.
5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder closes in on sweep vs Grizzlies after epic rally in NBA Playoffs
The rising star is quietly having a phenomenal postseason. In Game 3, he scored 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, hitting 2 of 6 from behind the arc and 6 of 10 from the free-throw line.
Williams is averaging 23.3 points in the series while shooting 56.9% from the floor.
It’s the kind of jump that seemed possible in his second postseason. Even though other individuals in Thunder blue have garnered more headlines, Williams has been spectacularly steady.
The Thunder missed 10 free throws in Game 3. Yikes.
Four of the misses came in the final 80 seconds of the game. Double yikes.
Neither the late misses nor the 23-of-33 shooting from the line came back to haunt Oklahoma City, but that’s way too many points left on the table in the playoffs.
Despite the missed free throws late, the Thunder finished the game on a 9-0 run, not allowing the Grizzlies to score over the final 4:51 of the game.
How’d the Thunder do it?
It started with defense. The Thunder forced the Grizzlies into four turnovers in that decisive stretch, but it also limited their chances. Memphis managed only one offensive rebound.
On the other end of the court, OKC found ways to get the job done. It wasn’t necessarily pretty all the time. The Thunder missed three shots from behind the arc, four free throws and had no offensive rebounds during that 9-0 run. But it got a three from Chet Holmgren, a transition bucket from Caruso and enough made free throws to seal the deal.
In other words, OKC gritted it out.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder-Grizzlies report card: Alex Caruso aces Game 3 in NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
The Grizzlies led by as many as 29 points in the first half Thursday, but the Thunder erased that lead for the second-biggest comeback in an NBA playoff game.
Saturday, Oklahoma City has a chance at a series sweep.
But before we get to that, let’s get to the grades:
MUSSATTO: Why Alex Caruso is perfect playoff player for OKC Thunder
Alex Caruso: A+++
Not sure all those pluses are allowed, but Caruso deserves them and then some. The defensive stopper was magnificent again in Game 3. He had four steals and one block, though it felt like 44 steals. He deflected passes and hounded ball handlers and generally made life miserable on the Grizzlies.
Caruso added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
That followed on the heels of two other top-shelf performances by Caruso. He was plus-30 in Game 1 despite not taking a single shot, then in Game 2 he had 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block.
He’s been a stat-stuffing, game-winning fool so far in these playoffs.
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Defending Pippen in the first half: D
You expect Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to get their points, but Scotty Pippen Jr. torched the Thunder in the first half. He hit 7 of 10 shots from the floor, including six from behind the arc.
And lots of times, the Thunder defender wasn’t within a step of Pippen.
He got hot, but the Thunder allowed him to stay hot. Pippen finished the first half with 23 points.
Defending Pippen in the second half: A
As bad as the Thunder was guarding Pippen in the first half, it was that good in the second half.
Now, part of the equation was Ja Morant’s injury. Hurt late in the first half, the Grizzlies star didn’t return, and that allowed the Thunder to re-allocate some defensive resources. The change was immediately noticeable in the second half. On the Grizzlies’ first possession after halftime, Pippen tried to get to the basket but was hounded into a miss by Lu Dort.
Pippen’s frustration seemed to grow quickly; on a drive to the basket, he stuck out his foot and connected with Isaiah Hartenstein’s midsection. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant one.
Then late, with the Thunder trying to build on a three-point lead, Pippen was still being hounded. This time, Caruso managed to get a hand on the ball and poke it free. The loose ball ultimately led to a jump ball that the Thunder won on a Zach Edey foul.
Pippen’s only points in the second half were two third-quarter free throws and one fourth-quarter 3.
More: Ja Morant injury is result of Lu Dort's 'clean play' in Thunder-Grizzlies NBA playoff game
Shai’s shooting: D
You wonder if Mark Daigneault should ban Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the gym for a day. Make the MVP finalist go walk around Beale Street, tour the Civil Rights Museum, eat at Central BBQ. Because right now, it looks like SGA is in his own head.
Sure, 10 of 26 shooting for 31 points might be above average for lots of players, but the standard that SGA has set is higher.
And there were some clangers.
Worst among them was a blown layup in transition with the Thunder trying to complete its comeback in the fourth quarter. Had Caruso not been there to snag with ricochet and score a putback, the miss might’ve haunted the Thunder.
SGA had signs of breaking out of the funk that he’s been in, but we definitely haven’t seen peak Scoring Shai in these playoffs yet.
Playing with foul trouble: B
The Thunder had some players in foul trouble. Hartenstein. Dort. But most notable was SGA. He picked up his fifth foul with more than 8 minutes left in the game, and the Grizzlies went at the Thunder superstar.
Repeatedly, they seemed to be hunting him, trying to put him in bad situations and get him to pick up that sixth and disqualifying foul.
But SGA wasn’t baited. A time or two, he had to give up something to avoid a foul, but for the most part, he played solid defense and got stellar defensive help from his teammates.
5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder closes in on sweep vs Grizzlies after epic rally in NBA Playoffs
Jalen Williams: A
The rising star is quietly having a phenomenal postseason. In Game 3, he scored 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, hitting 2 of 6 from behind the arc and 6 of 10 from the free-throw line.
Williams is averaging 23.3 points in the series while shooting 56.9% from the floor.
It’s the kind of jump that seemed possible in his second postseason. Even though other individuals in Thunder blue have garnered more headlines, Williams has been spectacularly steady.
Free-throw shooting: C
The Thunder missed 10 free throws in Game 3. Yikes.
Four of the misses came in the final 80 seconds of the game. Double yikes.
Neither the late misses nor the 23-of-33 shooting from the line came back to haunt Oklahoma City, but that’s way too many points left on the table in the playoffs.
Finishing: A
Despite the missed free throws late, the Thunder finished the game on a 9-0 run, not allowing the Grizzlies to score over the final 4:51 of the game.
How’d the Thunder do it?
It started with defense. The Thunder forced the Grizzlies into four turnovers in that decisive stretch, but it also limited their chances. Memphis managed only one offensive rebound.
On the other end of the court, OKC found ways to get the job done. It wasn’t necessarily pretty all the time. The Thunder missed three shots from behind the arc, four free throws and had no offensive rebounds during that 9-0 run. But it got a three from Chet Holmgren, a transition bucket from Caruso and enough made free throws to seal the deal.
In other words, OKC gritted it out.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder-Grizzlies report card: Alex Caruso aces Game 3 in NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
