In a tale of two halves, the Los Angeles Lakers fell short of what would of been a major upset on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 122-105, on Tuesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Lakers vs. Thunder final score: OKC too strong for LA in 122-105 win
The Thunder outplayed the Lakers on both ends of the floor in a game where L.A. didn’t have enough firepower to keep up.
Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE
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The Thunder (44-16) finished the game with a 12-0 run after the Lakers brought the score to within five in the fourth quarter after trailing by as many as 18. They took care of the ball at an unprecedented level with just two turnovers on the night -- a franchise record.
Russell Westbrook had a game-high 37 points and added 10 rebounds and five assists. Kevin Durant quietly scored 26 points of his own on 9-of-22 shooting.
Kobe Bryant shook off an early injury in the first quarter that was diagnosed as an ulnar nerve contusion to finish with 30 points on 8-of-19 shooting and was 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. He returned minutes later and appeared bothered by the ailment for the duration of the game. Steve Nash had a strong performance for the Lakers (30-31) with 20 points, four assists and four rebounds.
Deficiencies in all the areas that have given Los Angeles trouble over the course of a problematic season showed up once again. The Thunder outscored them in the paint, 50-22, and allowed 22 fast-break points.
The loss marked the sixth straight for the Lakers in Oklahoma City. Three of those came in the playoffs a season ago in the Western Conference Semifinals.
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