OKC Thunder Continue to Push Right Postseason Buttons

The Memphis Grizzlies are on the ropes after the Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 29 point lead to knock off the Beale Street Ballers in the FedEx Forum. The Thunder did it with a unique closing lineup.

Apr 24, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault during a press conference before game three for the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It was a flurry of of stops that helped the Oklahoma City Thunder erase the Memphis Grizzlies 29-point lead. The Thunder's Game 3 win marks the second largest playoff comeback in NBA history and its 26-point halftime deficit is the largest second half comeback in NBA playoff history.

The Thunder closed the game with a lineup that included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso and Chet Holmgren. That group had only shared 16 regular season minutes together before banding together for a historic comeback.

Oklahoma City forced the Grizzlies into more turnovers than made shots in the second half of Thursday's game and were a +32 after intermission.

"We try to create an environment with the lineups and fluidity it shouldn't really matter who you are on the court with. If we are playing to our individual identity and to our team identity we should be able to plug the guys into those lineups and have them be in character...I trust that they go out there in those situations late in the game and they know what to do...I really don't worry about [The lineup data when it comes to minutes together] to be honest with you," Mark Daigneault said at practice Friday.

The Oklahoma City are aiming to close out the series with a sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, tip-off is slated for 2:30 PM CT in the FedEx Forum. This would mark the second straight sweep for the Thunder of first round opponents, the first time Oklahoma City has pulled off such a feat.