Facing off against his idol, Kevin Durant scored 21 points to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder past Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-85.
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Bryant is averaging 25.0 points on 50.7 percent shooting in his last four games, but Los Angeles was without his services for its trip to Oklahoma City on Saturday because of a sore right shoulder.
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The Thunder have won eight of their last nine battles that include beating Los Angeles teams twice in a row.
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San Diego will keep it close, but having more balance on offense will help Carr trump Rivers for the second time this season. Sloppy play, mounting injuries and flags everywhere made for a somewhat ugly football game on Thursday night.
Lakers coach Byron Scott scolded his club after the latest woeful effort that saw their road mark drop to 2-16. “That third quarter, they just blitzed us, man. They got ahead with their athleticism and their speed and their length, and we we couldn’t get the game under control”.
Bryant flew high for an offensive rebound in the first quarter, pump-faked twice and scored on a high-arc baseline shot.
“I definitely plan on helping the game spread and helping kids all around the world understand all that surrounds the game and its potential”, Bryant said.
What did he relish more, his impact on offense or defense?
“Bryant had a game tonight and we didn’t have anybody that could guard him”, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
“I spent literally the entire summer showing them my pump fake and how to draw fouls, and then they both fell for it. As soon as they fell for it, they were like ‘Damn.’ That’s the type of stuff I’ll miss”. “Wish I had more time, would’ve met all 980 people”. “It felt good to be able to do that”.
Bryant indeed guarded Barton for all of his second half shots, but what is less clear is if Bryant really deserves full credit for shutting down Denvers’ primary bench scorer.
When Bryant wasn’t locking down defensively, he was heating up on the other end.
“I had more fans than him”, Nance Jr. joked.
Playing without Nick Young (gastroenteritis) and Julius Randle (ankle), the Lakers could not find anybody to complement Bryant’s scoring.
Wednesday’s game marked the first time Bryant faced Durant and the Thunder since he announced his plans to retire after the season back in November. He hit all three of his free throw attempts.
Los Angeles (5-24) was repeatedly hammered down low, as it was outscored in the paint, 76-32, and outrebounded, 61-35. After Denver (11-17) reserve Will Barton posted 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting in the first half, Bryant defended him in the second half and limited him to one field goal.
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The verdict? After watching Barton’s five second half attempts, it is hard to argue that Bryant’s defense was the primary factor.
