OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 26 points, Russell Westbrook added 23 and the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped the Los Angeles Lakers' seven-game winning streak with a resounding 91-75 victory Friday on a turnover-filled night for Kobe Bryant.
Bryant turned it over eight times as Oklahoma City built a 19-point lead by halftime, then proceeded to hold the Lakers to their lowest-scoring output of the season.
The Thunder added an exclamation point with a 16-2 run to finish the third quarter, capped by back-to-back two-handed dunks by Nick Collison and Durant. Oklahoma City took a 33-point lead into the fourth quarter, but coach Scott Brooks put Durant and Westbrook back in the game after Los Angeles scored 10 straight points to open the period.
Lamar Odom scored 15 points, and Bryant finished with 11 points and nine turnovers in three quarters.
The loss ended up being the third-most lopsided of the season for the Lakers, behind only a 26-point loss at Denver and a 20-point defeat against San Antonio. Los Angeles shot 39 percent, made only 2-of-15 attempts from 3-point range and finished with a season-low seven assists to go with 18 turnovers.
Oklahoma City snapped a 12-game losing streak against the Lakers, earning its first win in the series since Nov. 5, 2006, in Seattle. Two nights earlier, the Thunder snapped a 13-game skid against Houston that also dated to 2006.
While Los Angeles kept its reserves on the floor, Durant, Westbrook and Jeff Green rubbed salt in the Lakers' wounds with a series of highlight-reel plays. Oklahoma City led by 25 in the final six minutes when Green drove the lane in transition for a right-handed throwdown. Durant followed with a two-handed alley-oop jam on the Thunder's next possession, and Brooks then sent his reserves to the scorer's table to check in.
At this point, losses by any margin do little to damage the Lakers in the Western Conference standings, but hamper any chance of catching Cleveland for the best record in the NBA. Los Angeles entered Friday 6 1/2 games clear of everyone else in the West but 3 1/2 games behind the Cavaliers in the chase for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Thunder solidified their hold on sixth place in the West.
Westbrook had nine points as Oklahoma City built an early 19-7 lead, capitalizing on four turnovers by Bryant in the opening seven minutes. And Bryant didn't fare much better after checking back in during the second quarter. He turned it over four more times and the Thunder closed the first half on an 11-4 run to go up 53-34 after Thabo Sefolosha's fast-break layup.
Bryant had to pick himself up off the floor after concluding the first half with one last turnover, with Westbrook ending up with the ball after a collision in the lane.
Notes
Coach Phil Jackson said he might be compelled to return for an 11th season in Los Angeles if the Lakers win their second straight title. "If we win, it's almost imperative that I give it another shot. But that's a lot of ifs in there," he said. "There's four playoffs that you have to get through before you can say that you won and we've got a chance to do something special again, unique again. So, that's a long shot." … Bryant had a career-high 11 turnovers in a 90-89 loss at Detroit on Jan. 31, 2008. … Among those seated courtside were Bob Stoops and Barry Switzer — in seats occupied two nights earlier by Gov. Brad Henry and first lady Kim Henry — plus NFL prospect Gerald McCoy and Oklahoma basketball coach Jeff Capel. Former Oklahoma State basketball coach Eddie Sutton was also in attendance.