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.
The Lakers got a lot of help from areas that have been lacking. Pau Gasol had 25 points in about 30 minutes, including five for five from the free-throw line. And Andrew Bynum came out strong in the first quarter and turned in a 21-point game. Kobe Bryant, who also played only 30 minutes, finished with 13 points but no one seemed to mind. The Lakers had good spacing on offense and aggressive defense.
For the Thunder, they just have to do what they have been doing at home. They have packed the paint and made it hard to get the ball to the Laker big men Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Their length has given LA some problems inside (but not that much, when they do shoot the percentage is pretty high). They have made the Lakers jumpshooters, and they blew them out.
The Thunder roared out to a 12-point lead after the first quarter on Saturday, as they rolled past the Lakers 110-89 to even the best-of-seven Western quarterfinal. Oklahoma City won the game as a 1-point favorite, while the combined score made it OVER the posted total of 193.5. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists. Russell Westbrook had 18 points and eight rebounds for the victory. Andrew Bynum had 13 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double in leading the Thunder.
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.
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