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LOS ANGELES — If the Oklahoma City Thunder could conscionable play 82 games against the Lakers – they’d beryllium successful business.
It was hard capable for the location squad to tummy being the lone triumph connected the rebuilding Thunder’s resume – present Oklahoma City has 2 victories to constitute location about. And portion the latest 107-104 decision connected Thursday nighttime doesn’t rather measurement up to the 26-point pb the Lakers blew a week before, it inactive wounded plentifulness arsenic they struggled without LeBron James, who was sidelined with an abdominal strain.
Anthony Davis scored 29 points with 18 rebounds, battling done a sprained close thumb that hindered his second-half shooting. Russell Westbrook had 27 points, but helium had a captious turnover with 21 seconds near that was not forced by a defender.
The lone different Laker successful treble figures was Carmelo Anthony (21 points), who had 2 3-pointers successful the last 40 seconds, including 1 with 8.8 ticks near that gave them a accidental to salvage a crippled they erstwhile led by 19.
But aft Lu Dort made a brace of escaped throws – a captious follow-up to a wide-open dunk helium made moments earlier to enactment the Thunder up for bully – Westbrook missed the past heave earlier the buzzer.
The Thunder improved to 2-6, with some wins against the Lakers. The hosts fell to 5-4 and look a muddled aboriginal without James to thin on. The nonaccomplishment snapped a humble three-game triumph streak that had helped lavation distant the past disappointment against the aforesaid team.
Without James successful the lineup, the Lakers person gone done plentifulness of heartburn: They’re 1-2, including an overtime triumph successful San Antonio and the staggering blown pb the erstwhile clip they met the Thunder.
An disfigured fourth-quarter agelong enactment the Lakers successful a atrocious spot again: For precisely 5 minutes, the Lakers could not score, missing 9 consecutive shots successful the interim – including successful a lineup without Westbrook oregon Davis. Rajon Rondo – earning playing clip for the archetypal clip since James returned from his archetypal wounded – missed each 4 of his shots during that stretch.
When Kenrich Williams dunked with 5:27 near to enactment the Thunder up by one, it was the archetypal clip the Lakers trailed each night.
After trading shots backmost and forth, Oklahoma City got the precocious manus again erstwhile Williams knocked a country 3-pointer with little than 2 minutes left. After Anthony missed a contested layup nether the rim, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (28 points) pulled up from adjacent the midcourt logo to springiness the Thunder a six-point pb with 1:18 remaining.
Panic acceptable successful toward the extremity of the archetypal half. The Thunder utilized a 15-6 closing rally to propulsion wrong 4 points going into the intermission, but that wasn’t arsenic concerning arsenic erstwhile Davis yelped pursuing a collision for a rebound against Gilgeous-Alexander and grabbed his close manus successful pain. Already without James, the location assemblage was connected precocious alert that a 2nd subordinate of the Lakers’ All-Star trio mightiness beryllium down for the count.
Davis was a no-show astatine the commencement of the 2nd half, and Anthony replaced him successful the opening lineup. But helium reappeared 2 minutes into the framework with a achromatic sleeve implicit his close thumb and played retired the remainder of the 3rd quarter.
Even though Davis’ instrumentality helped spur connected the Lakers, it was Anthony who added other firepower to propulsion ahead: He scored 5 points during the Lakers’ 12-4 run, his 2nd jumper prompting James to basal up from the seat tapping 3 fingers to his temple – Anthony’s signature move.
Perhaps the Lakers knew aft past week’s fiasco that the Thunder would supply a challenge, but aboriginal on, they looked prepared to teardrop done them successful beforehand of the sellout crowd. Propelled by a fig of Westbrook’s leap shots, the Lakers opened a 19-point pb midway done the 2nd quarter.
Throughout the evening, the Lakers were frustrated with the officials’ foul calls – oregon the deficiency of them. They were 14 for 17 from the free-throw line, with 9 less attempts than the Thunder, who were tagged for conscionable 16 full fouls.
The Lakers adjacent caput to Portland to look the Trail Blazers connected Saturday.
More to travel connected this story.
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