Lakers 105, Thunder 96
Kobe Bryant continued to summon his inner Oscar Robertson, the Lakers finally got a signature win against an elite opponent and suddenly things are looking up again for that other team in Los Angeles.
Two straight wins does not make a season, and when you're still on the outside looking in at the playoff hunt nothing is taken for granted.
But say this much for the Lakers' 105-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday, by putting together two consecutive wins while playing an unselfish brand of basketball, a second-half turnaround and postseason push are no longer out of the question.
With Bryant scoring 21 points and dishing out 14 rebounds for the second consecutive game, and Steve Nash adding 17 points, the Lakers held off the Thunder and sent a message that their season isn't quite as lost as it appeared as late as a week ago.
In all, six Lakers scored in double figures and 29 assists led to 41 field goals. All signs point toward the Lakers finally beginning to get on the same page and that maybe, just maybe, they have a major run left in them.
Kevin Durant scored 35 points for the Thunder but Russell Westbrook struggled to get to 17 points on a frigid afternoon of shooting 6 of 22.
The Thunder shot just 36 of 81 from the field and were 4 of 16 from the free-throw line in the final game of a six-game (3-3) road trip.
Pau Gasol had 16 points off the Lakers bench.
NOTES: A lot of talk the last few days in Los Angeles centered on the 10 shots Bryant took Friday in a win against Utah, which represented 11 off his season average. The Lakers rolled with Bryant dishing out 14 assists and five players scoring in double figures, prompting discussion about Bryant sacrificing shots for the sake of the team. Some players and coaches took exception to the term "sacrifice" saying playing the right way should not be construed as some major concession. Rather, they say, it's devising a system that takes advantage of the Lakers weapons. "I'm sure everybody on this team wants to be the guy," Dwight Howard said. "But we have to figure out a way to do it together." ... The Thunder were wrapping up a six-game road trip that began with three wins in five games, including a 105-95 win against the Sacramento Kings. They return home to play four of their next five games.
