Kobe Bryant poured in 31 points and hit
the go-ahead jumper in overtime, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-98
victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Andrew Bynum tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds for the defending NBA
champions, who have won 10 in a row against the Thunder franchise. Ron Artest
posted 20 points, six assists and five steals for the Lakers. Lamar Odom
ended with 13 points and eight boards as the Lakers moved to 12-2 in their
last 14 road openers.
Los Angeles won despite having 26 turnovers, leading to 26 Oklahoma City
points. Conversely, the Thunder had 21 turnovers, turning into 26 LA points.
Kevin Durant led the way with 28 points for the Thunder, but he missed all
five of his shots after the third quarter. Jeff Green ended with 18 points,
while Thabo Sefolosha and Russell Westbrook each scored 12 in defeat.
Bryant's fadeaway shot gave the Lakers a 99-97 edge with 2 1/2 minutes
remaining in the extra session. He was later whistled for an offensive foul
with LA ahead by the same score.
Green's free throw cut the deficit in half inside of a minute left and the
door was opened for the Thunder when Bryant missed a three-pointer. But
Oklahoma City couldn't capitalize as Durant missed a jump shot.
Bryant canned two foul shots with 18 seconds remaining for the three-point
difference. Thabo Sefolosha missed a wide open three-point try from the right
corner, but the Lakers gave the Thunder life again when Odom missed a pair
from the charity stripe with 10.3 seconds left. The second attempt was an air
ball.
Westbrook, though, was off the mark on a three-point attempt in the waning
seconds and Bryant secured the rebound.
The Lakers scored the opening nine points and led by as many as 13 in the
first quarter before settling for a 32-25 advantage after 12 minutes. Oklahoma
City finally moved in front at 41-40 on a pair of Durant foul shots with 4:37
left in the half. The hosts trailed, 52-51 at the break.
It was tight throughout the third with the Thunder gaining a 73-71 edge moving
to the fourth.
Green's jumper inside of a minute left pushed the game into overtime.
Game Notes
Since moving to Los Angeles prior to the 1960-61 season, the Lakers are 34-16
in road openers...Bryant is 55 points shy of becoming the 15th player in NBA
history to score 24,000 points...The Lakers shot 52.1 percent from the
field...Etan Thomas had nine points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma City.
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