Darius Bazley crouched in his stance and tried to contain Brandon Clarke. It was rookie on rookie, and a matchup that symbolized the different stages of a similar rebuilding project the Thunder and Grizzlies find themselves in.
Eight days after blowing a 24-point lead at Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Grizzlies didn’t waste a 20-point fourth quarter advantage Thursday in the same building. Memphis topped Oklahoma City 110-97, snapping the Thunder’s four-game winning streak.
It was the Thunder’s first home loss since Dec. 4.
The Thunder (15-15) relied on come-from-behind theatrics during its five-game home stand that concluded Thursday, but it couldn’t dip into the same deja vu in its second meeting with Memphis.