The Memphis Grizzlies are on the brink of being eliminated from the 2011 NBA playoffs after getting routed by Oklahoma City 99-72 in Game 5 on Wednesday.
The Thunder showed no signs of fatigue following Monday’s 133-123 triple overtime win. Despite getting off to a slow start, Oklahoma City took control of Game 5 late in the second quarter and never allowed Memphis to get close.
The Grizzlies clearly had no energy after the quick turnaround from Monday’s game. In what came to be one of their worst performances of the season, Memphis got outrebounded by Oklahoma City 50-33 and shot only 35.9 percent from the field, mostly as a result of missing multiple layups.
Memphis coach Lionel Hollins made defensive changes against the Thunder, with Tony Allen guarding Russell Westbrook and Sam Young defending Kevin Durant.
But that effort came up well short on Wednesday because of the Thunder’s ability to keep Zach Randolph from doing any damage. Using a combination of Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison, Oklahoma City held Randolph to just nine points.
Mike Conley and O.J. Mayo combined to score only 14 points in going 6 of 25 from the field. The only Grizzlies’ player to score in double figures was Marc Gasol, who finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
With the game turning into a route, the Thunder’s bench got most of the minutes in the second half, with five players seeing at least 18 minutes of action. Meanwhile, two of Oklahoma City’s starters – Westbrook and Durant – only played 25 and 31 minutes respectively.
With the win, Oklahoma City took a 3-2 series lead against Memphis in their Western Conference semifinal matchup. The Thunder can wrap up the series with a win in Game 6 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis on Friday.
The Grizzlies’ of course must win the remaining two games in the series to advance to the Western Conference finals against Dallas. If Memphis wins on Friday, Game 7 will be played in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
