Oklahoma City Thunder steal 103 – 100 win over Los Angeles Lakers with late thrust – NBA Playoffs Recap - Part 1
The Oklahoma City Thunder trailed almost throughout the game against the Los Angeles Lakers but found an extra gear in the final 12 minutes to grab an improbable win on Saturday. The Thunder were behind by double digits in the last quarter but managed to
outgun Los Angeles, stunning the Staples Center crowd and walking away with a 103 – 100 win.
"It left my hand, (and) I was thinking, `If this doesn't go in, it's going to be a terrible shot,"' Kevin Durant said of his 3-point shot near the end that proved critical in handing OKC the victory.
Durant was terrific all night long, scoring 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a double-double display. Equally impressive was live wire point guard Russell Westbrook, who scored team high 37 points and dished out 5 assists.
"Everybody kept fighting," Westbrook said of his side’s late resurgence. "We all believed in each other. It's the playoffs. You can't afford to sit back and wonder about it."
"We know no game is over, we've witnessed that before. We play hard every possession and live with the results, and we came out on top." Durant, obviously, agreed.
One man at a loss to explain Oklahoma City’s amazing comeback win, which puts them up 3 – 1 in the Western Conference Semi Final series, was the head coach.
"I wish I could sit up here and say how that happened," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. He had seen his side being second for the majority of the game, in almost all departments. Yet, they pulled out the win.
"It just happened."
NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden had 12 points and 6 rebounds for OKC on the night, with the player made to work hard defensively against Lakers super star Kobe Bryant. Serge Ibaka meanwhile had 14 points and 5 blocks to his name.
The game started off evenly, and the two sides traded baskets in the first quarter, the score level 14 – 14 at the halfway mark. A 6 -0 burst by the Los Angeles Lakers put them ahead 27 – 22 and they closed out the first period ahead at 29 – 24.
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