29.3 F
Indianapolis
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lakers lose 5th straight, 120-106 to Thunder

More by this author

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Russell Westbrook added 26 and the Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Los Angeles Lakers to their fifth straight loss, 120-106 on Sunday night.

James Harden added 16 points and Serge Ibaka 15 for the Thunder, who moved a game behind the Lakers and Dallas with two remaining in the race for the No. 2 seed in the West. It was the Thunder’s fourth straight win and their first against the Lakers on the road since March 12, 2006.

Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, Pau Gasol added 26 and Andrew Bynum had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who led by five early in the fourth and by one with 3:10 to go, only to see the Thunder close on a 16-2 run.

The Lakers haven’t lost this many in a row since 2006-07, when they dropped seven straight in the last season before Gasol joined the team.

The teams exchanged leads throughout the fourth, with Bryant scoring seven in a row to give the Lakers their last lead. Durant and Westbrook combined for nine of the Thunder’s final 16 points.

Bryant’s free throw after Thabo Sefolosha was called for a technical pulled the Lakers into their first tie and Derek Fisher’s jumper gave them their first lead of the game, 76-74, midway through the third.

The Thunder answered with eight straight points before the Lakers outscored them 13-6 to take a 90-88 lead into the final 12 minutes.

The Thunder led the entire first half, with their largest lead of 12 coming in the opening quarter. They shot 62 percent from the floor, made 6 of 9 3-pointers and 14 of 15 free throws. Their 66 points were the most given up by the Lakers in a half this season.

The Lakers came out lethargic. There were four technicals in the first half, including Bryant and Kendrick Perkins, whose arms got tangled with Bryant’s head ending up in Perkins’ right armpit.

Bryant got disengaged from Perkins and scored seven of the Lakers’ next nine points as part of a 20-11 run that energized them as they ended the half trailing 66-64.

Notes: The Thunder improved to 13-4 on the first night of back-to-back games. They’ll complete their final one of the regular season on Monday at Sacramento. … The Lakers have dropped three in a row at home.

Copyright Ā© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

- Advertisement -

Upcoming Online Townhalls

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

To be updated with all the latest local news.

Stay connected

1FansLike
1FollowersFollow
1FollowersFollow
1SubscribersSubscribe

Related articles

Popular articles

EspaƱol + Translate Ā»
Skip to content