Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

‘Everybody’s voice holds the same amount of weight’ – Chet Holmgren puts team mentality first after historic Thunder comeback in Game 3

Chet Holmgren is averaging 21.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in the NBA playoffs this season.

Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 29-point deficit to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3 to take a 3-0 lead in the playoff series. It was the largest first-half comeback in the NBA playoffs history, and Hologram put team mentality first after this remarkable victory.

Chet Holmgren scored 23 of his 24 points in the second half to spark the second-largest comeback playoff win since 1997. Memphis lost Ja Morant with just over three minutes left in the first half, and the Thunder came hard in the remaining two quarters to turn the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and Jalen Williams added 26.

CHET HOLMGREN IGNITES A HISTORIC THUNDER COMEBACK 🔥

23 of his 24 points came in the 2nd half as OKC erased a 29-point deficit to take a 3-0 series lead! pic.twitter.com/oGMz4jNFG9
— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2025

Also Read: OKC Thunder Ignites Largest Halftime Comeback in NBA Playoffs History to Beat Memphis Grizzlies After Ja Morant Injury

Chet Holmgren Leads Thunder in Historic Second-Half Comeback

Holmgren applauded his team after a historic comeback and talked about his team’s mentality. He shared how his team discussed the comeback during halftime and eventually pulled off a stunning win in Game 3.

“It wasn’t pretty,” Holmgren said. “They hit us first. But we did what we had to do and came away with a win. It was a team mentality. Everybody was saying something when we went into that locker room. Then we came out and we cleaned it up.”

The Memphis Grizzlies had a 67-40 lead when Morant limped to the locker room. Thunder sparked a 21-9 run in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to a single digit, and Chet Holmgren scored 16 points. He led the Thunder on an 11-3 run, scoring 7 points, to take a 110-108 lead with less than a minute left in the final quarter.

Jalen Williams’ free throws opened the lead for the Thunder, and Memphis didn’t recover. Thunder didn’t allow the Grizzlies to score in the final minutes and secured a 114-112 win to step closer towards the Western Conference semifinals. Chet Holmgren made 5 three-pointers in the game, tying the playoff season-high for threes.

Holmgren also gave credits to Thunder’s coach Mark Daigneault. He said, “Credit to Mark for sticking with me. Changed the trajectory of the game, trusting me and calling a play for me to bomb one out of half after that shit storm I put up in the first half.”

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As per the NBA, Chet Holmgren also joined Dwight Howard, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Amar’e Stoudemire as the only players to record 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in a playoff game before turning 23 years old. He is averaging 21.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in the NBA playoffs this season.

Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren

Memphis Grizzlies

Oklahoma City Thunder

Gulshan Sharma

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.