MEMPHIS — The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t just win Game 3 against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 24, 2025. They carved their name into NBA playoff lore with a comeback that felt like a fever dream, clawing back from a 29-point deficit to steal a 114-108 victory and a commanding 3-0 series lead. This wasn’t just a game. It was a gut-punch to history, tying for the second-largest playoff comeback ever, and it unfolded in a way that left jaws on the floor at FedExForum.
The first half was a Grizzlies clinic. Memphis, leaning hard on their depth despite missing key players, ran Oklahoma City ragged. By halftime, the scoreboard screamed 68-42, a 26-point Grizzlies lead that felt like a funeral for the Thunder’s top-seed swagger. Memphis’s attack was relentless, fueled by sharp ball movement and a defense that smothered OKC’s stars. The Thunder couldn’t buy a bucket, shooting a measly 38% from the field while Memphis danced to a 54% clip. It was ugly, and the Memphis crowd was eating it up, smelling blood.
Then the tide turned—hard. The Grizzlies’ momentum took a hit when their star guard, ruled out for the second half after a brutal fall late in the second quarter, didn’t return. Memphis, suddenly without their primary playmaker, started to wobble. Oklahoma City, smelling a crack in the armor, came out of the locker room like a team possessed. They cranked up the defensive heat, swarming passing lanes and forcing turnovers. The Thunder’s ball pressure was suffocating, and Memphis couldn’t find clean looks anymore.
By the third quarter’s midpoint, OKC had slashed the lead to single digits. The crowd, once roaring, got quiet. You could feel the air shift. The Thunder’s young guns—players who’d been ice-cold in the first half—started cooking. Chet Holmgren, who’d been nearly invisible early, erupted for 23 of his 24 points after halftime, including five triples that lit a fire under OKC. Jalen Williams chipped in 26 points, grabbing six boards and dishing five assists, his steady hand guiding the comeback. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s heartbeat, orchestrated the offense with surgical precision, finishing with a stat line that screamed clutch.
The fourth quarter was chaos. OKC tied it up, then surged ahead with 80 seconds left on a Holmgren dagger from deep. Memphis, rattled and reeling, couldn’t answer. The Thunder’s defense, now a snarling beast, locked down the paint and forced rushed shots. When the final buzzer sounded, Oklahoma City had outscored Memphis 72-40 in the second half, flipping a 26-point halftime deficit into a six-point win. It was the largest halftime deficit ever overcome in NBA playoff history, a stat that’ll be etched in record books forever.
The numbers tell a wild story. OKC shot 47% from the field for the game but turned it up to 56% in the second half. They hit 14 of 29 from three, with nine of those splashing after halftime. Memphis, meanwhile, crumbled without their star, managing just 42% from the field in the final two quarters. The Thunder’s 19 forced turnovers, 12 in the second half, were the difference, turning Grizzlies mistakes into fast-break buckets.
Game 4 is set for April 26 in Memphis, with tip-off at 3:30 p.m. on TNT. The Thunder, now one win from a sweep, have all the momentum. The Grizzlies, backs against the wall, face a do-or-die fight to keep their season alive.