OKC Thunder fends off Memphis Grizzlies, moves back atop Western Conference

The days of “Grit and Grind” basketball in Memphis are long gone.

Zach Randolph’s jersey now hangs in the rafters at FedExForum. Tony Allen is playing in Ice Cube’s Big3 league.

The Grizzlies have a new brand of basketball. One that’s young, fast and high-flying. Still, as OKC grinded out a 118-112 road win over Memphis on Saturday, a glimpse of grit could be seen.

It took everything the Thunder had to fend off the relentless Grizzlies, who have nothing but pride to play for as they look to finish an injury-riddled season.

Memphis got rejuvenated by the return of Desmond Bane, who missed 29 straight games due to a sprained left ankle. It also got back a pair of big men in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama.

The Grizzlies refused to go down without a fight as a result, and they even trimmed the deficit to 112-107 with one minute remaining. But that’s when Cason Wallace delivered the dagger.

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The rookie swiped the ball away from Jackson, who was in the process of driving to the rim. Chet Holmgren then found Wallace on the following possession for a two-handed slam.

The key sequence helped OKC finally pull away and complete a three-game, regular-season sweep of Memphis.

"Credit (Memphis)," OKC head coach Mark Daigneault said. "They were sharp tonight. ... They really tested us. We had to go earn that win, especially in the second half."

OKC (47-40) now sits atop the Western Conference standings, thanks to owning the season-series tiebreaker with the 47-20 Denver Nuggets.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

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Chet Holmgren blocks shots with elite timing and discipline

It's tough to stop Bane on a drive to the rim.

Nicknamed by Memphis fans as "Downhill Des," the stocky guard is like a bowling ball, knocking down any pins that dare to stand in his way.

But that didn't deter Holmgren.

Bane drove to the rim early in the first quarter and attacked the chest of Holmgren, who didn't budge. Instead, the 7-foot-1 forward swatted the ball into the air and secured the rebound.

"I'm just trying to make the right play over and over," Holmgren said of his shot blocking. "Being in the right position (is important). And then having good discipline on defense, good hand discipline, putting your chest on guys and keeping them in front. Things like that."

Holmgren finished with three blocks on Saturday and just two fouls, which is par for the course.

The rookie is one of only six players in the NBA with more blocks (162) than fouls (159) this season.

"He obviously has great length but also great timing, instincts and toughness," Daigneault said. "That's a ridiculously-impressive stat for someone that's at the point of attack the way he is."

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OKC makes life difficult for GG Jackson

There weren’t a ton of positive takeaways for Memphis in its 124-93 road loss to OKC on Sunday.

Perhaps the only one was the strong play of rookie forward GG Jackson. The youngest player in the NBA erupted for a career-high 30 points on 10-for-19 shooting (52.6%) from the floor.

But OKC held Jackson to 19 points on an inefficient 5-for-14 shooting (35.7%) from the floor on Saturday. The tone was set early by Jalen Williams, who only played 10 minutes in Sunday’s matchup before exiting the game with a sprained ankle.

Jackson cut to the rim with 8:20 left in the first quarter and had a clear path to the basket, but Williams chased him down for the block.

From Williams to Holmgren, OKC threw an array of defenders at Jackson. The result was a poor shooting performance by the rookie, who salvaged his night with a 7-for-8 showing from the free throw line.

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OKC takes care of business against losing teams

With its win on Saturday, OKC is 22-6 this season against teams with a losing record.

The Thunder is tied for the second-most wins in that department in the Western Conference. Denver leads the pack with a 23-4 record.

That bodes well for OKC’s next pair of games. It’ll face Utah (29-37) at home on Wednesday and Toronto (23-44) on the road Friday.

It’ll be key for OKC to take advantage of those winnable games. After that, the team must endure a grueling stretch of contests.

OKC will face Milwaukee (March 24), New Orleans (March 26), Houston (March 27), Phoenix (March 29), New York (March 31), Philadelphia (April 2), Boston (April 3) and Indiana (April 5). Of that group, Houston is the only one with a losing record.

It'll be a true test for OKC, which is fighting for positioning in a competitive Western Conference standings.

"It's extremely important and valuable to have good positioning for the playoffs," Holmgren said. "It's also good to see that all the work that we're putting in is putting us in a good position. But we have a long ways to go."

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder beats Grizzlies, moves back atop Western Conference