Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting as the Oklahoma City Thunder skated past the Los Angeles Lakers, 122-97. Durant finished the night with eight rebounds and five assists to go along with his scoring.
Lakers vs. Thunder final score: Oklahoma City handles Los Angeles, 122-97
Kevin Durant was too much on Friday night for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Bookmark This
The Thunder out-rebounded the Lakers 59-41 and 34 of their 47 made field goals came off assists. Serge Ibaka, Russell Westbrook and Reggie Jackson each chipped in 19 points.
Kobe Bryant, who started at point guard in an injury-depleted Lakers backcourt, scored four points and dished out 13 assists, but turned the ball over seven times.
Durant’s 12 points and Westbrook’s 11 powered the Thunder to a 38-28 advantage after the first quarter. As a team, Oklahoma City shot 14-of-25 from the field. Bryant, playing the role as facilitator, launched just one shot attempt, instead opting to run the team as point guard.
Bryant was a little more comfortable running the offense in the second quarter as he tallied five assists in five minutes. He finished the first half with four points and seven assists. Durant scored 10 in the second to finish the first half with 22 points as the Thunder took a 66-51 lead heading into halftime.
The onslaught continued in the second half: the Lakers were unable to gain any ground and the Thunder didn’t budge. Oklahoma City’s lead ballooned to 25 points early in the fourth quarter -- a lead too massive for Los Angeles to overcome. Both teams’ reserve players received most of the playing time in the last period.
The Lakers (10-12) have lost all three games since Bryant’s return. The contest against the Thunder was the first of four straight games on the road for Los Angeles. Oklahoma City (18-4) has won five games in a row and 13 of its last 14.
More from SB Nation NBA:
See More:
