All season long, the Thunder have had that dog in them.
After every win68 in the regular season to be exactthe Thunder would surround the postgame interview and bark repeatedly into the mic, a tradition started by Jalen Williams last season.
Since then, its become Oklahoma Citys identity, reflecting a gritty team that finds a way on both ends of the court to get the job done.
And on Thursday night, they lived up to that mentality.
Down by as many as 29 on the road, the Thunder pulled off the second-largest comeback in postseason history to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points, while Williams and Holmgren dropped 26 and 24 points respectively. Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe both contributed 10 points off the bench.
Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 28 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points. Ja Morant scored 15 points before exiting with a hip injury towards the end of the first half. He did not return for the remainder of the game.
Two days removed after being routed by 19 points, Memphis came out the gates hot on their own home court.
Two Zach Edey free throws within the first minute of the opening quarter gave Memphis an early lead they wouldnt relinquish until the final frame.
They continued to build off that momentum, quickly gaining a double-digit lead in the first quarter after putting on a sharpshooting clinic from beyond the arc. Pippen, Jackson, Santi Aldama and John Konchar combined to drain eight triples in the first quarter to give Memphis a 40-29 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Memphis continued to pile it on. Midway through the period, the Grizzlies rattled off a 16-0 run to gain a 65-37 advantage.
However, immediately after the run, Morant suffered a game-ending injury after a hard foul.
After Pippen intercepted a Williams pass, the Grizzlies opened up a two-on-one fast-break opportunity. Pippen sensed Luguentz Dort behind him and quickly dished a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Morant.
Dort lost his footing as Morant skied for a dunk, sending him to the deck hard. He fought through the pain to shoot two free throws before exiting into the tunnel. Morant was reportedly seen on crutches during the fourth quarter of the game, as reported by ESPNs Tim MacMahon, and his status for Game 4 is unknown.
After Morants injury, Memphis closed out the quarter holding a 26-point lead after Luke Kennard splashed a triple at the buzzer.
In the third period, Oklahoma City found their footing. Led by Holmgren, the Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 36-18 in the period.
Holmgren scored 16 points in the third quarter from all three levels, splashing four threes and getting buckets in the paint.
The Thunders defense stepped up, holding the Grizzlies to only five-made field goals in the period. With the run, the Thunder entered the final frame facing an eight-point deficit.
For the fourth quarter, OKC opened up on an 12-4 run to tie the game at 99, the first tie since the score was 4-4 three minutes into the first quarter. As both teams traded buckets, the Thunder finally captured their first lead of the game with just over a minute to play on a Williams free throw.
After Desmond Bane missed a go-ahead triple, Holmgren sank two free throws to give the Thunder a three-point lead.
On the ensuing possession, Caruso stole the ball from Pippen, leading to two free throws for Dort. With the chance to ice the game, Dort missed both attempts from the line, keeping the Thunders lead within one possession.
With the chance to tie the game, the Grizzlies found Konchar wide open in the left corner for a triple, but saw his attempt come up short.
In a heads-up play, Caruso streaked down the court away from defenders and calmly laid in a fast-break layup to ice the game for the Thunder with less than 20 seconds on the clock.
Memphis inefficient second-half offense doomed them, as they combined for only 31 points in the final two quarters of play. In addition, they failed to score any points over the final five minutes of the game, with missed looks and turnovers.
OKCs comeback was the second-largest in postseason history, only behind the LA Clippers 31-point comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Playoffs.
The Thunder will now to look to complete the opening sweep on Saturday afternoon.
