Next up for the Thunder is a meeting with Memphis, slated to begin on Sunday in a semifinal series for the Western Conference. The Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Clippers also on Friday night in eliminating them. Oklahoma City won the series first three games, before the Rockets climbed back into the series with two straight wins in large part to Thunder’s starting point guard Russell Westbrook going down to season-ending injury. Kevin Durant finally got some help on Friday from his teammates to offset Westbrook’s absence.

Kevin Martin scored 24 points off the bench, Derek Fisher added 11 points and Russell Jackson scored 17. Durant led the Thunder with 27 points in the win. Houston was paced by James Harden who scored 26 points while battling strep throat and Chandler Parsons added 25 points.

The first three quarters of the game was a strong battle as neither team could gain much of an advantage. Then things changed in the fourth quarter for the Thunder as the Rockets began to slow down, and shots failed to fall. Oklahoma City went on a 14-4 run to push their lead to 11 after holding an one-point advantage early in the fourth. From there the lead grew to 15 at 99-84 after a breakaway dunk from Martin at the 4:31 mark.

Houston failed to get any closer as the Thunder managed to wrap up the series. Memphis also has a former Kansas Jayhawk in Darrell Arthur. The backup forward played nine minutes of the Grizzlies win, scoring four points.

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May 3, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Nick Collison (4) attempts to score a basket during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Cole Aldrich: Former Jayhawks center now at Sacramento after a mid-season trade from Houston, Aldrich showed flashes of getting better down the stretch, scoring 12 points in two straight games. The Kings season ended with a 28-54 record overall.

Darrell Arthur: Forward for the Memphis Grizzlies, Arthur picked up some significant minutes down the stretch for this playoff bound club. The Grizzlies face the LA Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.

Mario Chalmers: Another solid year for Chalmers who starts as the point guard for the Miami Heat. Chalmers averaged nine points and four assists for the team, who will face Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs.

Nick Collison: Collison is a good backup forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished with the best record in the West. The Thunder face Houston, in the first round of the playoffs. Collison averaged five points and four rebounds this season.

Drew Gooden: Gooden hasn’t played in a game since April 6th for the Bucks, who are set to play Miami. The forward has averaged three points and two rebounds per game.

Xavier Henry: Henry stars as a backup guard for the New Orleans Hornets, soon to be Pelicans. The guard averaged four points this season for the team. New Orleans didn’t make the post-season.

Kirk Hinrich: Hinrich is the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls, who will face Brooklyn in the first round of the playoffs. Hinrich scored 18 points in the Bulls season finale vs Washington.

Paul Pierce: Pierce continues to play with the best of them. The guard has led Boston to the playoffs to face New York in the first round of the playoffs. Pierce averaged 19 points per game this year.

Marcus Morris: This Morris brother averaged eight points and four rebounds for the Suns, who finished with a record of 25-57, the worst in the Western Conference.

Markieef Morris: Morris averaged nine points and five rebounds per game for the Phoenix Suns, who didn’t make the post-season.

Thomas Robinson: Robinson advanced to the playoffs with the Houston Rockets. He averaged five points and five rebounds this season for the team.

Tyshawn Taylor: Taylor earned some minutes down the stretch for the Brooklyn Nets who will face Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. Taylor scored 14 points in a win over Washington on Monday. For the season he averaged two points per game.

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The Nets solidified their stance on fourth in the Eastern Conference standings as the regular season is nearly finished. Brooklyn is 46-32 on the season, while Boston fell to 40-38. The Celtics are firmly in the seventh spot of the conference.

Boston raced to an 17-9 lead early on with Pierce draining a couple of three-pointers. Though the Nets rallied, and stole the lead at the end of the first quarter, 22-21. In the second quarter, Brooklyn used an 18-4 run to build an 12-point advantage at 53-41. Brooklyn’s lead grew to 15 points early on in the third quarter before the Celtics fought back behind Pierce and Jeff Green. Boston had the lead down to six, before yet again Brooklyn battled back. The lead grew to 15 in the third quarter, before Boston once again cut it down to single digits in the fourth quarter.

Brooklyn then scored eight straight points behind Joe Johnson and Deron Williams who both caught fire, in ending Boston’s hopes of getting a win. When the smoke cleared, New Jersey was in control with an 99-82 lead. Boston managed to cut it down to eight, once both teams put in reserves.

Williams finished with 29 points and 12 assists, while Johnson added 20 points. Brook Lopez scored 21 to go with four rebounds. The Nets lost starting forward Gerald Wallace early in the second quarter with a left heel contusion. For the Celtics, along with Pierce’s 23 points, Green totaled 11 points and Kevin Garnett scored 11.

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Apr 10, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) drives against Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) during the third quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports