Thunder 122, Lakers 97: Kevin Durant tallied 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals as host Oklahoma City cruised to its 13th win in 14 games.
Russell Westbrook contributed 19 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and Serge Ibaka added 19 points and 10 boards for the Thunder, who improved to 11-0 at home. Reggie Jackson scored 19 and fellow reserve Jeremy Lamb added 11 for Oklahoma City.
Nick Young scored 17 points and Xavier Henry added 15 to lead the Lakers, who dropped to 0-3 since Kobe Bryant's return from a torn Achilles' tendon. Bryant, playing the point in Steve Blake's absence, dished out 13 assists in 23 minutes but scored only four points on 2-of-6 shooting and committed seven turnovers.
The Lakers ran out to a 13-7 lead on five points from Jodie Meeks, but they couldn't sustain it as Durant and Westbrook combined for an 8-0 burst and Oklahoma City never trailed again. Durant and Westbrook combined for 37 first-half points as the Thunder shot 50 percent in the half and took a 66-51 lead into the break.
The margin never slipped below 15 in the second half, as Oklahoma City pushed it out to 94-74 entering the final stanza and kept extending the lead with the second unit on the floor. The Thunder scored 31 points off 19 Lakers turnovers, including 14 steals.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oklahoma City's 38 points in the first quarter marked a season high for the opening frame. … The Thunder held a 59-41 edge on the boards and improved to 14-1 when outrebounding their opponent. … The Lakers have allowed an average of 111.2 points over their last five games.
L.A. Lakers | Oklahoma City | |
Nick Young 17 | Scoring | Kevin Durant 31 |
Kobe Bryant 13 | Assists | Russell Westbrook 12 |
Robert Sacre 8 | Rebounds | Serge Ibaka 10 |
Xavier Henry 9 | Free Throws Made | Kevin Durant 8 |
Kobe Bryant 2 | Steals | Kevin Durant 4 |
Wesley Johnson 1 | Blocks | Steven Adams 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
L.A. Lakers | 97 | 41.4 | 7-25 | 18-31 | 26 | 41 | 4 | 7 | 19 |
Oklahoma City | 122 | 47.5 | 8-25 | 20-23 | 34 | 59 | 8 | 14 | 14 |