OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant put a dazzling end to Memphis gritty comeback. The Grizzlies erased most of a 25-point deficit before Durant, the leagues scoring champion, got hot. He scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat Memphis 100-86 on Saturday night in the opening game of their first-round playoff series. The Thunder already were regaining control in the fourth quarter before Durant took over. He scored 11 points in a 5-minute, 21-second surge that stretched Oklahoma Citys lead from seven points to 14 and put the game out of reach. "We just stayed together," Durant said. "We made plays in the fourth quarter. The third quarter was tough for us, but we stayed together. We didnt stray away." Russell Westbrook had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder. Zach Randolph led Memphis with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but he made just seven of 21 shots and got into foul trouble in the second half. Mike Conley had 16 points and 11 assists, Marc Gasol scored 16 points and Tony Allen added 13 points for the Grizzlies. Memphis might have stolen the game if not for a miserable first half. "Weve got to make adjustments to get off to a better start," Randolph said. "We cant exert so much energy trying to come back from 20 points. Its the first game, weve got to stick together. Weve been here before, we know what weve got to do and come out and be ready for Monday." Memphis shot just 36 per cent from the field and made just 18 of 31 free throws. "We got good looks. I cant say it was anything other than that," Conley said. "We got good looks. We got some open 3s. Our bigs got some good looks in the post. We just didnt knock them down. We have to be more focused at the line as well. Making free throws is a big deal for us. We got opportunities. Weve got to make them." Oklahoma City was the only home team to win on the first day of the post-season, but the Thunder nearly made it four losses for higher seeds after getting outscored 31-13 in the third quarter. "We didnt want to be the leading trend on losing a home game," Westbrook said. "Were just happy we won a game. We did a great job of just coming out and hitting them first. Theyre a physical team and we did a great job of going by our game plan." The Thunder pushed the pace to take an 8-0 lead, and Memphis called a timeout less than three minutes into the game. Conley finally scored Memphis first point at the 9:04 mark after the Grizzlies missed their first five shots. The Thunder led 29-16 at the end of the first period. Oklahoma City shot 52 per cent in the first 12 minutes while holding the Grizzlies to 17 per cent shooting. Oklahoma City continued the onslaught into the second quarter and took a 56-34 advantage into the locker room. Memphis scored the first six points of the second half, and though Oklahoma City quickly called a timeout, the Grizzlies continued their surge. A three-point play by Allen trimmed the Thunders lead to 60-51, and by the end of the third quarter, Memphis had cut its deficit to 69-65. Allen scored nine points in the third quarter, and Randolph scored eight. Memphis held Oklahoma City to 3-for-16 shooting in the period. "I just think as a point guard, my job is to set the tone, and I didnt do a great job of that in the third quarter, of coming out and setting the tone," Westbrook said. "I had a few bad turnovers and kind of let them get easy baskets. Ive got to do a better job of that." The Grizzlies had whittled Oklahoma Citys lead down to three early in the fourth before a powerful drive and jam by Caron Butler brought life back to the nervous arena and gave the Thunder a 74-69 lead with just under nine minutes to play. Memphis Mike Miller came back with a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game, but the Thunder responded with a 13-1 run. Though Oklahoma City held on, Memphis will take confidence from its rally into Game 2. "We see what we did," Randolph said. "I think we cut it down to two, and they made another run, but we see what we can do. We know what we can do and weve got to come like that at the beginning of the game." NOTES: Saturday was the 19-year anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. The crowd observed a moment of silence before tip-off. ... Memphis reserve point guard Nick Calathes has been suspended for 20 games for violating the NBAs anti-drug policy, starting Saturday. The league said Friday night in a release that Calathes tested positive for tamoxifen. "It is what it is," Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said before the game. "Weve dealt with adversity all season." ... 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Joe Crede Jersey . -- Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open.When it comes to balancing training with media obligations, few mixed martial artists keep a schedule as hectic as Ronda Rousey. On top of pushing herself in the gym before each fight, the UFC womens bantamweight champion is never too far from the spotlight. In between bouts, Rousey has even taken to filling downtime with roles in films like The Expendables 3, Entourage and Fast & Furious 7. Going into her upcoming title defence against Canadian Alexis Davis in the co-main event of UFC 175 in Las Vegas Saturday, Rouseys once again running the press gauntlet. Though her packed timetable would be enough to make some fighters cringe, Rousey has a secret weapon working to her advantage. “I dont really do that well with downtime,” Rousey said during a recent media conference call. “So Im always in the gym regardless. A lot of fighters like to have their fight and then go chill out for a month or two. I get in trouble for sneaking back into the gym sometimes two days after a fight. Im just always in shape and always ready. I dont really like resting too much.” The cause of Rouseys desire to never stray too far from the gym is two-fold. Though there is nothing more satisfying than violently dispatching high-level challengers, this sensation is often fleeting for the California native. It doesnt take long before she once again gets the itch to compete. “The high after a win is what I enjoy the most, not sitting around and resting,” Rousey said. “I clearly only enjoy the rest while that high is still lingering. Its only so long that I can enjoy sitting on the couch and eating as much pie as I want before going to the gym and pressing repeat. I really need that big goal and obstacle to be excited about what Im doing.” On top of her competitive drive, Rousey simply knows that in order to stay on-point, she must fight frequently. She admitted to learning this the hard way, after a 10-month layoff prior to her December bout with Miesha Tate resulted in some unwanted ring rust. “We dont really have the luxury boxers have where, if the champion takes a long break off, they can have a tune-up fight to get ready for another big title fight,” Rousey said. “I just have title fights to keep from getting that ring rust.” Next on her hit list, Rousey aims to net her fourth consecutiive title defence by besting Davis.dddddddddddd Currently riding a five-fight win streak — three of which have come under the UFC banner — Davis has flown under the radar somewhat and could offer tough opposition wherever the fight may go. Rousey said she isnt taking the Port Colborne, Ont. native lightly. “Alexis is definitely the most well-rounded fighter Ive ever come up against,” Rousey said. “Shes one of the most experienced and her coaching (staff) is some of the best Ive ever come up against. “I think the greatest challenge is: whatever tools she does have, I know that shell use them in the most intelligent way possible. Being that she is well rounded, she has a lot of tools to pick from.” Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the bout will play out once the action hits the mat, as Davis is arguably the most experienced ground fighter Rousey has ever been paired up against. As well as sporting a Muay Thai striking background, Davis holds black belts in both Brazilian jiu jitsu and Japanese Jujutsu. A 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist, Rousey said she aims to represent her discipline and secure bragging rights by taking out Davis. “When I first started watching MMA that was one thing that pissed me off so much, everyone assumed that everything would beat judo,” Rousey began. “Everyone would be like, Any wrestler can beat a judo player. Any jiu jitsu player can beat a judo player. I was just really annoyed by the complete lack of respect that the sport got. I see that changing definitely. “You can definitely get away without having any ground game in judo, but if you are the type of person ... that can submit people in judo — I mean, youve only got a couple seconds to make that work. If youre the type of person that does actually make it work on the ground in judo, youre one of the best in the world. Im happy to really get the opportunity to showcase that.” Should she get the job done against Davis, Rousey said she plans on taking a much-needed break. However, it will remain to be seen whether she can enjoy her time away from the cage. “Id like to fight again on New Years and take a little break before then,” Rousey said, “but the UFC knows if theres an emergency or they need me, Ill step up on 24-hours notice.” ' ' '