With the OKC Thunder on the brink of elimination on Thursday, Kevin Durant took Game 6 into his own hands. The Memphis Grizzlies had made Durant ineffective and inconsistent, leaving the soon-to-be NBA MVP labeled as “Mr. Unreliable.” Almost on cue, Durant became the Incredible Hulk, quietly mumbling “don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” Durant went off, silencing the critics for at least one game and forcing tonight’s decisive Game 7. If you can’t catch tonight’s Thunder game on TNT to see what KD does next, you can watch Grizzlies Thunder Game 7 online free live using any number of services.
In the first nine minutes of Game 6, Durant got up eight shots and drew a shooting foul. His aggressiveness continued through all four quarters, shown by his repeated drives to the lane and 15 free throw attempts. The 14 free throws he made in Game 6 tied the total number of free throws he’d show in Games 4 and 5 combined. When the final horn sounded, Durant had his most complete game of this series en route to 36 points in the Thunder’s 104-84 victory.
To say the Grizzlies had a lapse on Durant wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Durant was finally playing as expected. The OKC Thunder hadn’t anticipated this much of a fight from their first-round opponent, but the Grizzlies have traditionally given the Thunder problems. Durant’s relative ineffectiveness, though, hadn’t traditionally been one of the issues.
Instead, the combination of Zach Randolph and Mike Conley Jr. playing the inside-outside game had given the Grizzles an edge, as it’s a combination the Thunder don’t always have with Russell Westbrook and Durant on OKC’s perimeter. Tonight’s Grizzlies game won’t afford Memphis that same advantage, though.
Randolph will be sitting out Game 7 after being suspended for punching OKC Thunder center Steven Adams. The play came with 6:42 remaining in the four quarter of OKC’s 104-84 win on Thursday, when Randolph elbowed Adams in the midsection and then threw a punch to the jaw.
So far in the Grizzlies’ playoff series against Oklahoma City, Randolph had been averaging a team-high 18.2 points per game. To say his presence will be missed is an understatement. Not only will the Grizzlies struggle to fill that void on offense, but Randolph’s defensive role will also be missed, especially with Memphis’ top defender, Tony Allen, now questionable for tonight’s Thunder Game 7 after leaving Saturday’s shootaround early with a migraine.
Fortunately for Memphis, point guard Conley is planning to play tonight’s Grizzlies game in spite of a strained right hamstring, though he admitted to ESPN that he’ll be limited. Conley’s got to play, though, as backup Nick Calathes was suspended due to a violation of the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
Between suspensions and injuries, the OKC Thunder seem destined to win tonight’s Game 7. If you can’t watch tonight’s Memphis Grizzlies vs Oklahoma City Thunder game live on TNT, NBA fans who subscribe to TNT in their cable or satellite package can watch NBA games online free via TNT’s live-streaming TNT Overtime service. You can also download the TNT Watch Live app for your tablet or mobile device to watch tonight’s Grizzles – Thunder Game 7. In addition, the TNT website often has live streaming NBA games, so check that out as well if you’re looking to watch Grizzlies Thunder Game 7 online free live. Tipoff for the Grizzlies – Thunder Game 7 is scheduled for 8:00pm EST / 5:00pm PST.