NBA Playoffs Capsule Recaps: Semifinals Day Six

We were busy preparing for Mothers’ Day — you know getting flowers and making breakfast — so we neglected to recap Saturday’s games. Here is a quick rundown of what happened while you were busy pampering Mom.

Game Three: (4) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (8) Memphis Grizzlies, FedEx Forum

  • Final Score: Grizzlies 101, Thunder 93
  • Memphis trailed by 16 points in the second half, but would not go away. With Russell Westbrook going into “hero mode” and Kevin Durant uninvolved in the offense, the Grizzlies mounted a feverish comeback to force overtime. Memphis had all the momentum and rode Zach Randolph into the finish as Oklahoma City was out of sorts offensively.grizzlies_logo
  • Grizzlies: Zach Randolph 21 points, 21 rebounds
  • Thunder: Russell Westbrook 23 points, 12 assists
  • Key Stats: Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined to take 46 of Oklahoma City’s 93 shots. The duo made just 17 for a 37.0 percent shooting performance. … The teams combined to shoot 7 for 31 from 3-pointers in the game, including Zach Randolph’s miss at the end of the fourth quarter. … The Grizzlies went to the line 44 times, including Marc Gasol hitting eight of his 12 attempts from the charity stripe.
  • Zach Randolph on O.J. Mayo, who scored 18 points off the bench: “That kid has had such a tough year. But he stuck with it. He’d come in the gym late at night, shoot, doing the little things to get better. That’s what the NBA is all aoubt. The guy was great tonight. He won the game for us.”
  • James Harden: “I think we controlled the entire game, but we let one slip away.”
  • Grizzlies lead the series 2-1. Game Four will be in Memphis on Monday, May 9 at 9:30 p.m. on TNT.

 

Game Three: (2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Boston Celtics, TD Garden

  • Final Score: Celtics 97, Heat 81
  • Rajon Rondo suffered a horrific elbow injury as he dislocated his elbow while bracing for a fall. But that did not stop the Celtics’ spark plug from returning to the floor and helping Boston get back in its series with Miami. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett seemed re-energized by the return home and played like it was the mid-90s as Boston led for most of the second half. Rondo’s return only further energized a team that was looking to prove it was not too old to compete with the young and athletic Heat.

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  • Celtics: Kevin Garnett 28 points, 18 rebounds, 13-20 FG
  • Heat: Dwyane Wade 23 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds
  • Key Stats: Boston’s “Big Three” outscored Miami’s trio 70-44 as Garnett posted 28 points, Paul Pierce had 27 and Ray Allen had 15. Wade scored 23, James had 15 on 6-for-16 shooting and Chris Bosh scored only 6. … Shaquille O’Neal played his first game since re-injuring his leg in April. Shaq scored two points in 8.5 minutes. … Joel Anthony provided a big spark for Miami as the team came back from an early deficit in the second quarter. Anthony scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench.
  • Rajon Rondo on playing with a dislocated left elbow: “It was stiff, but the main thing tonight was obviously what makes it feel better is we got the win.”
  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “That was a championship caliber response, no other real way to put it. They came out and played extremely hard. They played harder than us and they played more efficient than us.”
  • Miami leads the series 2-1. Game Four will be in Boston on Monday, May 9 at 7 p.m. on TNT.

About Philip Rossman-Reich

Philip Rossman-Reich is the managing editor for Crossover Chronicles and Orlando Magic Daily. You can follow him on twitter @OMagicDaily

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