"This game is something people are going to be talking about for a while," Durant said. "I'm glad I'm a part of it."
"We've got to keep fighting though," Durant added. "It's tied up right now. We're taking it back to our house. So we'll see how we handle it."
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 40 points. James Harden added 19, and Daequan Cook chipped in 10.
The Grizzlies, playing to a packed house despite the floods that have swelled the Mississippi River and forced evacuations in some Memphis areas, looked weary in the third over-time, making just one of their nine shots from the floor.
Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 34 points and 16 rebounds and Marc Gasol added 26 points and 21 rebounds in the losing effort. O.J. Mayo had 18 and Mike Conley 16 before both fouled out. Greivis Vasquez had 14.
The winner of this series will play the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals for a chance to face a team from the East for the NBA crown.
The Mavericks have a chance to rest up after ousting the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the minimum four games.
The Memphis-Oklahoma City series, in contrast, is a dog-fight. Monday's nail-biter came just two days after the Grizzlies edged the Thunder in over-time.
Conley forced the first over-time with his only three-pointer of the game. Vasquez, the rookie who came in after Conley and Mayo fouled out late in the first extra period, hit a three-pointer to set up the second over-time. Gasol's tip-in set up the third over-time.
"We thought it was destined for us to win, but ain't nothing given to you in the NBA," Randolph said. "You've got to go out and take it."
The Thunder had chances to win at the end of regulation and the first two extra periods.
Durant, the NBA scoring champion, saw a three-pointer miss at the end of the first over-time and Westbrook's leaning long-range jump shot brushed the rim at the buzzer to end the second over-time.
Oklahoma City took charge in the third extra period, when Westbrook's basket with 3:38 remaining put them ahead for good.
Durant added a pair of free throws and his running lay-up gave the Thunder a 129-123 lead with less than a minute to play.
Durant stole the ball from Randolph on the other end and made a shot over Shane Battier with 29.3 seconds left.
The Grizzlies can look back and regret letting an early 18-point lead slip.
Oklahoma City could have put it away sooner, too, surrendering a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.
Memphis coach Lionel Hollins was impressed with the fight shown by each team.
"Both teams kept coming back and fighting and fighting and fighting. It became a matter of just not having enough bullets as the game wore on," Hollins said.
"I commend both teams for the effort that they gave and the way they stuck with it and just fought. Nobody wanted to go home. Nobody wanted to lose."
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