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Late flourish powers Thunder past Lakers
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For three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers tempted the sellout crowd at Staples Center into believing they would pull off one of the most improbable upsets of the NBA season on Thursday.
Then Kevin Durant took over and the Lakers got sloppy with the ball, turning it into just another loss in a season full of them.
Durant scored 19 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter as the Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Lakers to a record-setting seventh straight home loss with a 107-103 victory.
Durant added 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals to help the Thunder go into the league’s All-Star break this weekend on a high note.
“It gives us a good feeling going into the break,” said Durant, whose Thunder improved to 43-12 and hold a 1 1/2 game lead over Indiana for the best record in the league.
The Thunder’s 43-12 mark equals the best start in the franchise’s 47-year history, set by the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics.
Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said they went into the game with a lot of respect for the Lakers even though they have struggled this year.
“The easy thing to do is look at it like we didn’t have the proper focus. But I’m not going to go there, because when you play against an NBA team that’s prideful like the Lakers, they’re going to have a good game,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said after the match.
In the only other game, the Chicago Bulls won their third straight at the expense of the Brooklyn Nets, 92-76.
Taj Gibson scored 16 points and Carlos Boozer returned from an injury to add 15. The Bulls moved two games above .500 at 27-25 for the first time since they were 6-4 on November 21.
“We’re happy, but we’re not satisfied. We’re hungry,” said Joakim Noah, who had 14 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth straight double-double.
Paul Pierce led Brooklyn with 15 points. The Nets are 24-27, going 14-6 since January 1.
The Thunder trailed by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter while Durant missed his first eight attempts from 3-point range. But Durant’s first 3-pointer of the game cut the Lakers’ lead to 85-77 in the opening minute of the fourth, triggering a 15-2 run that enabled Oklahoma City to pull ahead 92-87 with 5:46 to play.
Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni praised his team’s effort, but admitted the team was looking forward to the All-Star break as a chance to rest and regroup.
“We’re looking forward to the break and we’ll have four guys at least coming back and that will help a lot,” he said.
Chris Kaman and Wesley Johnson scored 19 points apiece for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall added 14 points and 17 assists. The Lakers have lost 22 of their last 27 games and are tied for last place in the Western Conference.
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