The Oklahoma City Thunder were bounced from the Western Conference semifinals by the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, 88-84.
Minus Russell Westbrook, the Thunder shot 37 percent from the floor against the Grizzlies. Both Serge Ibaka and second-year pro Reggie Jackson had big nights, but Kevin Durant went 5-of-21 from the field while committing a whopping seven turnovers. He posted a plus-minus of minus-four when he was on the floor. Postseason veteran Derek Fisher also scored just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
The Grizzlies didn't shoot well, either (minus Zach Randolph, who posted 28 points on 8-of-17 shooting), but they did win the turnover battle and attempted 29 free throws (making 25). Memphis scored 22 points on 14 Oklahoma City turnovers.
The Thunder, backed by their home crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena, got off to a strong start on Wednesday, outscoring the Grizzlies in the first quarter, 23-18. But they had a miserable second quarter, getting outscored 32-15 in the frame.
The second half was also a tale of two quarters. The Thunder outscored the Grizzlies in the third quarter, 24-14, but were outscored in the final period, 24-22.
Oklahoma City's poor shooting in Game 5 wasn't an anomaly. The Thunder were shooting 41 percent for the series headed into Wednesday's matchup. The absence of their All-Star point guard was evident, as they scored a combined 225 points in their first two games of the playoffs with Westbrook leading the charge.
In the end, Durant could only do so much to make up for the loss of Westbrook, and it was only natural the Thunder would lose when he had an off night.
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