Thunder Edges Past Lakers for Historic Win

Oklahoma City rode a dominant third quarter to earn its first playoff win since moving from Seattle.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:40 am

By: News On 6

Thunder Edges Past Lakers for Historic Win

Originally Published: Apr 22, 2010 9:58 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- In its first home playoff game as a franchise, the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame an early 10-point deficit to claim its first win in the series 101-96.

It took Oklahoma City’s first 30-point quarter of the playoffs, and late-game jumpers from stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to secure the win.

All of this came after the Thunder started the game in a hole, falling behind 10-0 just 2:33 into the game – Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum adding four points each. The Lakers extended that to a 15-3 run with a Kobe Bryant 3-pointer.

NBA scoring leader Durant didn’t score a single point in the first six minutes of the game, scoring his first points on free throws. His first field goal of the game came more than three minutes into the second quarter on a 17-foot jumper to pull the Thunder within three points.

Down 10 points, Oklahoma City strung together a 6-0 run to close the first quarter – including four from James Harden – to close the gap 27-22. Harden led all Thunder scorers with eight points in the first quarter in only four minutes of play.

Both teams were quiet in the opening minutes of the first quarter, scoring a combined nine points four minutes into the quarter. Oklahoma City would follow that scoring drought with an 11-3 run to close the lead to three, including four points from Durant.

Bryant answered with a long 3-pointer, extending the lead back to six points. A foul on a Derek Fisher 3-pointer gave the Lakers a 48-41 lead, while Bryant added a jumper to extend it to nine.

Westbrook continued to show why he sparks the offense, driving to the basket and hitting a layup with 36 seconds left to cut the lead to 50-43.

Harden led all scorers in the first half with 15 points, while Westbrook added 10 of his own. Durant shot 2-of-10 from the floor, but still managed eight points and 11 rebounds.

Bryant led the Lakers with 14 points, while Derek Fisher contributed 11 of his own.

Oklahoma City scored four straight to open the quarter and close the gap to three points, but the Lakers answered with six straight, including back-to-back jumpers from Bryant to push the lead to 56-47.

With five minutes left in the quarter, Oklahoma City went on a 10-4 run – including four from Durant – to close within four of Los Angeles. Fisher ended the Thunder’s run with his third 3-pointer of the night, pushing the lead to 69-62.

With 1:21 left in the quarter, Harden and Durant hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game 74-74. Pau Gasol hit a single free throw to close the half and retake a one point lead.

Serge Ibaka made his presence known in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, hitting a jumper to start the quarter and a put-back dunk in the next possession to take a 78-75 lead.

A Bynum 3-point play tied the game at 80-80, but Durant hit an 11-foot jumper and capitalized on a Bryant turnover to give Oklahoma City the lead.
The Thunder moved to close the game out with less than six minutes left in the game, going on an 8-2 run – including four from Durant – to take a 93-85 lead.

Los Angeles hit three consecutive 3-point shots to close the lead to 93-90, but Westbrook converted on a 3-point play to give Oklahoma City a six-point cushion. The Lakers then scored a quick four points to close to two points and draw within two.

In the closing seconds, Los Angeles resorted to fouling, but Durant converted on four-straight free throws to maintain the lead.

Durant rebounded from his first-half performance, finishing the game with 24 points and 19 rebounds, while Westbrook added 27, grabbed eight boards and dished out four assists. Harden provided a spark off the bench for Oklahoma City, scoring 18 points in 29 minutes and hitting 3-of-4 from behind the arc.

The Thunder closes the series to 2-1, with another home matchup against the Lakers at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.