OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) In a reversal of roles, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers understand they're the predators endeavoring to find Kevin Durant 's Oklahoma City Thunder.
They include a few work for you to do.
Durant have 36 points, scored 27 of his / her 33 inside primary 1 / 2 to position Oklahoma City with a powerful steer and the Thunder exhausted the particular short-handed Lakers 114-108 Friday night.
''They're a new workforce this everyone likes. As a young workforce coming up, you often wish in order to beat that best,'' Westbrook said. ''I think that's among the list of issues that will inspires us.''
Bryant had 35 points for Los Angeles, which often trailed by way of as many as nineteen prior to rallying to receive within four throughout the final minute.
added 23 items as well as eighteen rebounds for the Lakers, which have been eliminated from the Thunder throughout five games within continue season's Western Conference semifinals. Howard and Steve Nash were component to a great offseason overhaul to use and also find as much as the Thunder.
Instead, this Lakers tend to be 9-11 along with focusing on small gains giving these individuals the belief they'll at some point convert it around.
''It's 82 games. This group offers just simply received together,'' Howard said. ''It's different we live gonna get together and start out winning appropriate away. . We're learning tips on how to play together. We're getting better. This is not on anybody's time frame desk nonetheless ours.''
Westbrook's major first half squeeze Thunder around control, nonetheless L.A. charged back with a later 27-12 cost make it interesting.
The activity grew traumatic when Metta World Peace - previously a open public enemy in Oklahoma City after your dog clocked James Harden very last season - as well as Serge Ibaka each received techie fouls to get a confrontation inside the ending minutes.
World Peace pullled down Ibaka's returning and also the a couple barked at each other deal with to manage in addition to chest to be able to chest, together with Ibaka then clasping the backside associated with World Peace 's jersey. Ibaka rared back again along with his perfect fist clenched, nevertheless the two ended up segregated ahead of it risen in popularity virtually any further.
''It's always that way by using us, specifically Metta World Peace as well as Serge,'' Durant said. ''Those guys are usually simply just playing hard. I really don't think it was practically nothing harmful or terrible plays, just folks playing hard.''
The Lakers under no circumstances backed down. After looking by way of 12 along with 1:32 remaining, Jodie Meeks drove for your pair associated with layups in addition to Chris Duhon accompanied which has a 3-pointer to lower this debt to be able to 110-105. Bryant adopted Durant's two free includes that has a 3-pointer in the nook to acquire the debts into some using 15 seconds left.
Durant make a couple potent photographs and Meeks airballed a 3-pointer as the rally fizzled.
''They're a difficult team,'' Durant said. ''They fought very difficult many nighttime and also made it troublesome on us.''
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