LOS ANGELES — Pau Gasol had 25
points and 11 rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 21 points and the Los Angeles
Lakers vigorously rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 111-87
victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, taking a 3-2
lead in their first-round playoff series.
Kobe Bryant had 13 points and seven
assists in three quarters of work as the defending NBA champions coolly
shook off the eighth-seeded Thunder's series-tying blowout win in Game 4
with a comprehensive thrashing of the postseason newcomers.
With their offense purring and their
defense throttling Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Lakers led by
21 points at halftime and went ahead by 32 late in the third quarter of
their third home victory in the series.
Game 6 is Friday night in Oklahoma
City, where the top-seeded Lakers will attempt to reach the Western
Conference semifinals for the third straight year.
Durant scored 17 points and Westbrook
had 15 on combined 9-for-27 shooting for Oklahoma City, which never
recovered after missing its first 13 shots.
While the Thunder are still learning
about the demands of playoff basketball, the Lakers already have an
advanced degree — and they showed off what they've learned during two
straight trips to the NBA finals.
Los Angeles jumped to a 10-0 lead
before the Thunder's first point on Westbrook's free throw nearly 4 1/2
minutes in, and Oklahoma City couldn't hit a field goal until Durant's
jumper with 5:49 left.
Bynum scored eight straight points
underneath the basket as the Lakers finally turned their superior height
into an advantage, rather than the anchor it became in Oklahoma City.
Bynum had 11 rebounds and hit his career playoff high with 8-for-10
shooting, while Gasol scored 15 points in the third quarter to put away
the win.
Los Angeles also got 14 points in a
resurgent effort from Ron Artest, whose shooting woes had overshadowed
his defensive efforts against Durant in the series' first four games.
The mercurial forward clearly is done playing around as he chases his
first championship ring: He even shaved off his platinum-blond dyed hair
from late in the regular season.
After Los Angeles won the first two
games, Oklahoma City evened the series and gained a wealth of confidence
with back-to-back wins. The Thunder embarrassed the Lakers in Game 4,
going ahead by 29 points and holding Bryant to 12 after the former MVP
didn't take a shot in the first quarter.
The Staples Center crowd had a
palpable unease before the game, with fans rising and cheering anxiously
before the opening tip in a blatant violation of the usual rules of
Hollywood cool. Los Angeles clearly was paying attention to the rowdy
crowds in Oklahoma City.
Yet the Lakers also brought their
best game, playing heady defense from the opening tip — including
Bryant's move to guarding Westbrook, the speedy former UCLA point guard
whose dribble penetration catalyzes much of the Thunder offense.
Los Angeles led 31-16 after one
quarter and steadily pushed the advantage heading into halftime, going
up 55-34 on Bryant's jumper with 7.7 seconds left. The Lakers made
nearly 65 percent of their first-half shots while holding Oklahoma City
to 26-percent shooting, including Westbrook's 2-for-8 effort on a
variety of wild drives to the hoop.
The Thunder fast breaks that shredded
the Lakers in Oklahoma City were almost nonexistent, with just two
first-half points on the break.
Notes
The Lakers slightly improved
their troublesome free-throw shooting, going 22-for-31 after a 17-for-28
effort in Game 4. Bryant, who took just two free throws in the past two
games, went 5-for-7. … After coach Phil Jackson asked Artest not to
shoot so many 3-pointers from the sides of the court, Artest took two in
the first three quarters — but made both. … Fans included Leonardo
DiCaprio and Bar Rafaeli, Will Ferrell, Joel McHale, Sylvester Stallone,
Eddie Murphy, Dustin Hoffman, Barry Bonds, singer Seal, David Arquette
and UCLA coach Ben Howland, while Hugh Hefner watched from a luxury box.