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The Oklahoma City Thunder blew open their matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half, cruising to a 100-85 win.
We know the Oklahoma City Thunder can score in bunches, but this is just a bit ridiculous. Thanks to a bit of good fortune and a bit of inattention by the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score five points in just about .8 seconds. It all came at the end of the half and was a nice swing for the Thunder, who had a skip in their step as they headed off to the locker room.
It looked like the Los Angeles Lakers were poised to head into the break with a lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder after both teams struggled throughout the first half. In an instant, though, the tide turned, with Russell Westbrook hitting a three to give the Thunder the lead and Kevin Durant stealing the inbound pass and draining a buzzer beater to extend the advantage. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come.
The Thunder turned a three-point halftime advantage into a double-digit lead in the second half as the Lakers faded. Los Angeles was never able to answer the tandem of Westbrook and Durant, and the result was a comfortable 100-85 win.
Durant led the way for the Thunder with 33 points on 12-of-22 shooting. Westbrook was the sidekick, adding 19 points and six assists. James Harden played a supporting role off the bench, scoring 16 points in the win.
For the Lakers, it was Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and little else. Bryant scored a team-high 24 points on 7-of-25 shooting, but did most of his damage from the line, where he was 10-of-11. Gasol added 22 points and 12 rebounds, with Andrew Bynum also finishing in double-figures, scoring 14 points.
For more on the two teams, check out Los Angeles Lakers blog Silver Screen And Roll and Oklahoma City Thunder blog Welcome To Loud City.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder have, for the most part, struggled shooting the ball in the first half. Both teams played tough games last night and don't quite look like their best, but they're still playing high-quality basketball and working hard on defense. Despite the offensive struggles for most of the players on the floor, Kevin Durant is shooting just fine. He leads all scorers with 20 points at the half, and the Thunder lead 46-43.
Durant hit an absolutely unreal shot at the buzzer to extend his team's lead at the end of a crazy final 30 seconds of the half. In that time span: Serge Ibaka stuffed Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol dunked on a great pass from Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook hit a three and Durant stole the ensuing inbound pass, then hit a buzzer-beater.
Kobe Bryant has 10 points on just 4-13 shooting, but he's having a solid all-around game with five rebounds, two assists, a steal and no turnovers. Gasol leads the Lakers with 13 points.
For more on the two teams, check out Los Angeles Lakers blog Silver Screen And Roll and Oklahoma City Thunder blog Welcome To Loud City.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a bad season on the road, but they're coming off of their biggest road win of the season on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. They're coming up against an even tougher test on Thursday night, when they play the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined for 91 points against Denver on Sunday, but they've each had two more great scoring performances against New Orleans and Boston over their last two games. They should continue to score against the Lakers, so the biggest question for the Thunder is whether or not their supporting cast can score enough to beat the Lakers.
While the Lakers have only lost twice at the Staples Center, they have lost 11 times away from home. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 14-1 in Oklahoma City.
For more on the two teams, check out Los Angeles Lakers blog Silver Screen And Roll and Oklahoma City Thunder blog Welcome To Loud City.
Sam Presti, Mike Brown United By Mixtapes
by Brian Floyd
This actually sounds like a plotline in a buddy cop sitcom. Just Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown riding around, fighting crime and getting into all sorts of wacky situations.
Oh, and mixtapes. Plenty of mixtapes.
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Feb 24 8:01a