Lakers Defense Stifles Thunder Shooting for Win

Originally Published: Apr 18, 2010 2:41 PM CDT

Stephany Speck
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES -- The Oklahoma City Thunder, making its first ever playoff appearance, rallied back to within six points of the Los Angeles Lakers, but couldn’t overcome tight defensive pressure and fell 87-79.

Kevin Durant finished with a game-high 24 points for the Thunder, while Russell Westbrook added 23 and eight assists.

The reigning NBA Champions led the Thunder by 17 points at one point, but Oklahoma City didn’t give into the ominous Lakers.

The Thunder trailed at the end of the first quarter, 27-13, after shooting only 5-19 from the field. Head coach Scott Brooks stressed to his players the need to move on offense to create space and make better shots.

Oklahoma City’s shooting struggles led to their lowest first-quarter shooting performance of the season, but they improved to 11-of-17 in second quarter. A 15-6 run to close the half helped narrow the Lakers lead and position the Thunder for an explosive third quarter.

Westbrook, the team's second leading scorer, got off to a painfully slow start, putting up his first two points of the day six minutes into the second quarter. He added an additional five assists and eight points in the second quarter, posting 10 total points by half. The guard put up an impressive nine points in the third quarter, surpassing the heavily-guarded in team scoring.

Durant tried to create plays for his team, but faced Lamar Odom and Ron Artest. The Lakers' high-pressure offense gave Durant little to work with. The league’s leading scorer ended the third quarter with 16.

The Lakers utilized their strength and size over the youthful Thunder, particularly on a drive by Durant late in the third quarter.

Durant made a strong drive to the basket, but Kobe Bryant got back on defense to swat away KD’s layup as the crowd of the gold and purple roared its approval.

Andrew Bynum was simply too much for Serge Ibaka, marking the big man on the inside. Bynum, who hasn’t played since March 19, put up 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lakers.

Bryant, who has rested four of the last five games, posted 21 points and two steals. Pau Gasol grabbed 13 rebounds for L.A. and scored 19 points.

The Thunder inched back to within six points with three minutes left in the game. Durant took a quick jumper, but bounced it off the front of the rim. Gasol drew a foul on the next play, making both of his free throws to put the Lakers up 81-73.

Bryant fouled Jeff Green, who made one of his two shots at the charity line. The Thunder trailed the Lakers by nine points with less than a minute left to play.

Westbrook connected with Durant for a dunk, putting the Thunder within seven points of the Lakers with just 36 seconds left, but Oklahoma City committed its ninth turnover, giving the Lakers the chance to seal the victory.

The Thunder again face the Lakers at the Staple Center Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.