Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Jalen Williams had 26 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an improbable 114-108 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday to take a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.
Chet Holmgren scored 23 of his 24 points in the second half as the Thunder overcame a 29-point deficit in the first half and didn’t lead in the game until Williams dropped in a free throw with 1:20 remaining to go ahead 109-108.
Memphis played without Ja Morant in the second half after he sustained a hip injury late in the first half. Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 28 points to lead the Grizzlies. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22. Morant had 15 points and five assists in 15 minutes before the injury. He was diagnosed with a left hip contusion. Without Morant, the Grizzlies were outscored 63-31 in the second half.
Morant left the game with 3:14 to go in the second quarter after falling hard on his left side while soaring in for a layup on a fastbreak. Morant was undercut by Luguentz Dort on the play. He hobbled slowly to the sideline after spending several minutes on the floor being attended by the Grizzlies’ training staff.
Clippers 117, Nuggets 83
Kawhi Leonard recorded 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Los Angeles took a 2-1 series lead with a convincing victory over Denver at Inglewood, Calif.
James Harden had 20 points — all in the first half — to go with nine assists and six rebounds, while Norman Powell also scored 20 for the fifth-seeded Clippers. Ivica Zubac registered 19 points and nine rebounds as Los Angeles won its second straight in the best-of-seven, first-round series.
Denver star Nikola Jokic recorded 23 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists for his 20th career postseason triple-double. Jamal Murray also scored 23 points and Aaron Gordon added 15 points and seven rebounds for the fourth-seeded Nuggets.
Knicks 118, Pistons 116
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 31 points and Jalen Brunson added 30, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to give visiting New York a victory over Detroit in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
OG Anunoby put up 22 points for the Knicks, who hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series on Sunday in Detroit. Brunson, who averaged 35.5 points in the first two games, also had nine assists and seven rebounds in Game 3.
Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. led Detroit with 24 points apiece, and Cunningham dished out a game-high 11 assists. Dennis Schroder scored 18 points for the Pistons, who have not won a home playoff game since May 2008.
