Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies smiles during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at FedExForum on February 28, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. Justin Ford/Getty Images/AFP
Desmond Bane scored 21 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 125-118 road win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
The Grizzlies won their third consecutive game, while the Thunder have dropped five straight games and nine straight at home.
Ja Morant finished with 17 points and 10 assists in the win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points to lead the Thunder while Darius Bazley added a season-high 29.
In Friday’s come-from-behind win over the New York Knicks, Jaren Jackson Jr. was the defensive catalyst for Memphis. Sunday, he fueled the Grizzlies offensively early as they took control in the first quarter. He scored eight of his 18 points in the opening frame as the Grizzlies scored 38 in the quarter.
Jackson and the Grizzlies were helped plenty by Steven Adams, who finished with 16 rebounds.
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Adams has grabbed plenty of rebounds in Oklahoma City, where he played for the Thunder from 2013-20, becoming a fan favorite. Sunday’s game was just Adams’ second in Oklahoma City as a visitor and the first with fans present.
After being greeted warmly by Thunder fans, Adams helped the Grizzlies get off to a quick start, grabbing five of his eight first-quarter rebounds in the first six minutes as Memphis led 27-12 just past the midpoint of the quarter.
The Grizzlies outrebounded Oklahoma City 10-1 during that span.
The Thunder briefly cut the lead to five twice in the second quarter but couldn’t get any closer, and trailed by double digits for much of the rest of the game until the final minutes.
The Grizzlies led by 18 early in the fourth quarter and by 15 with 3:30 remaining before the Thunder made a push to close the gap thanks in part to Gilgeous-Alexander’s seven points late.
Oklahoma City cut the deficit to six with 25 seconds left on Theo Maledon’s 3-pointer, but Memphis hit all four of its free throws the rest of the way to hold on.
The start of the game was delayed five minutes after both teams came onto the floor wearing white uniforms.
After a brief discussion, the Grizzlies returned to the locker room and changed into their dark blue jerseys.