Camille Naredo

Jaylin Williams #6, Aaron Wiggins #21 and Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder high five during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies during Round 1 Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Joe Murphy, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP 

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 20: Jaylin Williams #6, Aaron Wiggins #21 and Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder high five during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies during Round 1 Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE   Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images/AFP (Photo by JOE MURPHY / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)

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2025 NBA Playoffs - Memphis Grizzlies v Oklahoma City Thunder- Game One

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1745732518436AFP__20250420__2210583807__v1__Preview__2025NbaPlayoffsMemphisGrizzliesVOklahomaCity.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Jaylin Williams #6, Aaron Wiggins #21 and Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder high five during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies during Round 1 Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Joe Murphy, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jaylin Williams #6, Aaron Wiggins #21 and Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder high five during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies during Round 1 Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on April 20, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. <em>Joe Murphy, NBAE via Getty Images/AFP </em></span></span></span></div><p>LOS ANGELES -- The Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by 38 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, held off the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 on Saturday to complete a 4-0 sweep in their NBA Western Conference playoff series and become the first team to reach the second round.</p><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers were on the brink of advancing, taking a 3-0 stranglehold on their Eastern Conference series with a 124-87 blowout of the Miami Heat.</p><p>And the Denver Nuggets leveled their Western Conference series with a stunning 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers sealed by Aaron Gordon&#x27;s put-back dunk at the final buzzer.</p><p>Jalen Williams added 23 points for the Thunder, who were pushed to the wire in Memphis despite the absence of Grizzlies star Ja Morant, who was ruled out with a hip contusion suffered in game three.</p><p>Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 30 points and Santi Aldama and Desmond Bane had 23 points each for the Grizzlies, who trailed by 12 with 3:37 to play but closed within two in the waning seconds only to come up short.</p><p>After the first three games featured a total of four lead changes, the teams traded the lead 15 times in the first three quarters.</p><p>Oklahoma City took the first double-digit lead of the game with less than six minutes remaining and, without Morant, Memphis just didn&#x27;t have enough to extend the best-of-seven series.</p><p>Gilgeous-Alexander had struggled offensively by his standards in the first three games of the series.</p><p>But he looked like the player who won the regular-season scoring title as he connected on 13 of 24 shots from the field, setting an early tone with 16 points in the first quarter.</p><p>&quot;I didn&#x27;t think he played any different,&quot; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. &quot;I just think he got into a groove.&quot;</p><p>The Thunder, who led the league with 68 regular-season wins, next face either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers, who were tied at 2-2 after the Nuggets&#x27; sensational victory in Los Angeles.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ePcR_i9xkR4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic scored 36 points with 21 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, who led by 22 early in the fourth quarter.</p><p>The Clippers, led by 24 points from Kawhi Leonard and 22 from Norman Powell, surged back to take their first lead of the game, 97-96, on Bogdan Bogdanovic&#x27;s reverse layup with 1:11 to play.</p><p>Jokic spun through traffic for a basket that put Denver back on top, but Ivica Zubac tipped in a basket to tie it at 99-99.</p><p>With little more than a second remaining Jokic unleashed a high-arching three-point attempt that missed, Gordon nabbing the rebound and thrusting the ball in the hoop for a game winner that required an agonizingly lengthy video review before officials confirmed he had, indeed, beaten the buzzer.</p><p>&quot;That&#x27;s a crazy game, man, crazy game,&quot; Gordon said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Cavs pummel Heat -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I6omn6hNJUc?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>In Miami, the Cavs handed the Heat the worst playoff defeat in franchise history, despite the absence of All-Star guard Darius Garland and a relatively quiet 13-point game from Donovan Mitchell.</p><p>Jarrett Allen scored 22 points and De&#x27;Andre Hunter added 21 off the bench as six Cavs players scored in double figures.</p><p>The Heat, well aware that no NBA team has rallied from 3-0 down to win a playoff series, got off to a fast start and led by nine midway through the first quarter.</p><p>But the Cavs were up by 13 by the end of the first quarter, their lead never dipping below double digits the rest of the way.</p><p>&quot;We took the first punch and from there we just took the game over,&quot; said newly minted Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, who chipped in 19 points.</p><p>Bam Adebayo scored 22 points to lead the Heat, but the 37-point margin of defeat surpassed the Heats previous worst postseason loss, a 36-point defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the 2013 NBA Finals -- when the Heat went on to win the title.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lEapNeRqqoI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>In San Francisco, Stephen Curry shook off a slow start to score 36 points with seven rebounds and nine assists as Golden State pulled away late for a 104-93 victory over the Houston Rockets that put the Warriors up 2-1 in their series.</p><p>The Rockets had a one-point lead with less than six minutes remaining in the bruising back-and-forth battle that featured 18 lead changes.</p><p>Gary Payton II then scored four straight baskets for the Warriors and fed Curry for a three-pointer that gave the Warriors a 95-86 lead.</p><p>The hard-fought victory came without star forward Jimmy Butler, who suffered a pelvic contusion in a hard fall in game two.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>The Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by 38 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, held off the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 on Saturday to complete a 4-0 sweep in their NBA Western Conference playoff series.</p>

The Oklahoma City Thunder, fueled by 38 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, held off the Memphis Grizzlies 117-115 on Saturday to complete a 4-0 sweep in their NBA Western Conference playoff series.

Thunder sweep past Grizzlies in NBA playoffs, Cavs on brink

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Thunder sweep past Grizzlies in NBA playoffs, Cavs on brink

Agence France-Presse

Published Apr 27, 2025 01:43 PM PHT

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