MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Forward Kevin Durant scored 32 points, forward Serge Ibaka added 17, and guard Russell Westbrook had 13 points and 16 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 125-88 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night at FedExForum.
The Thunder, who needed a late jumper by Durant to beat the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, spent the majority of the game against the Grizzlies with a double-digit lead.
Oklahoma City opened the third quarter with a 20-6 run to build a 79-53 advantage. The visitors led by as many as 37 in the quarter, during which they shot 63 percent. Their lead reached 40 in the fourth quarter.
The Grizzlies got little production from their starters (33 points). Guard Mike Conley was scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in 22 minutes, including 0-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc. Center Marc Gasol paced the starters with 11 points. Memphis was led by reserve guard Mario Chalmers, who finished with 19 points.
Durant shot 3-for-13 and committed 15 turnovers in the previous two games, but he displayed a familiar All-Star form against Grizzlies. He had 19 points at the half and 13 in the third quarter. His 32 points came in 31 minutes. He did not play the fourth quarter. Ibaka and Westbrook sat out the final period, too.
During the Thunder’s 39-point third quarter, Durant made five of six shots and had a four-point play after being fouled on a 27-foot jumper and making the free throw.
Durant missed the first meeting with the Grizzlies last month and watched as Memphis scored 43 points in the fourth quarter to win 122-114. On Tuesday in Memphis, his 19 first-half points — along with 12 assists from Westbrook — helped the Thunder to a 59-47 halftime lead.
Durant and Ibaka went 12-for-17 in the opening half, and the Thunder shot 57.5 percent (23-for-40). The Grizzlies struggled during the same time span, shooting 37.8 percent (17-for-45) and were 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The Grizzlies, the worst 3-point shooting team in the Western Conference, finished 3-for-14 from long range. Memphis entered the game having gone 13-for-54 from 3-point range in the previous four games.
Memphis hit 40.7 percent from the floor overall Tuesday to 56 percent for Oklahoma City.
NOTES: The Oklahoma City players attended ceremonies Monday night in Memphis honoring G Cameron Payne, their rookie teammate from Murray State. Payne, who attended high school at Lausanne, had his jersey retired. He joins another former Lausanne standout, who had his jersey retired, Grizzlies C Marc Gasol. … Gasol entered the game averaging 25 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists and shooting 54 percent from the field in his previous three games. … Thunder G Russell Westbrook’s triple-double (19 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) Sunday night against the Kings was the 22nd of his career. He moved past Kobe Bryant into third place on the NBA’s active triple-double list.