Lakers at Thunder
THE STORY: Oklahoma City already owns the best record in the Western Conference but would love to enter the All-Star break with the NBA’s best record as it hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The Lakers got what they wanted in the opener of a road back-to-back Wednesday with a 96-91 victory over Dallas behind 24 points from Pau Gasol and 19 points and14 rebounds from Andrew Bynum. Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and Kevin Durant 28 as Oklahoma City scored a season-high 72 first-half points and beat Boston 119-104 Wednesday for its 11th straight win at home, where it is an NBA-best 14-1.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE LAKERS (20-13): Gasol scored 16 points in the first half and said the Lakers banded together. “I was aggressive in the beginning. I was able to knock down some shots and make plays,” Gasol said. “(This win) shows we’re on the same page and we’ve got a lot of character.” The Lakers are 6-11 on the road this season, but have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games at Oklahoma City.
ABOUT THE THUNDER (26-7): As dominant as Oklahoma City was in the first half (including 8 for 12 on 3-pointers), it was lax in the second half and allowed the Celtics to trim the lead to six points. “We just have to stay focused,” center Serge Ibaka said. “When you're up 25 points it's hard to stay focused.” If only every team had that problem. The Thunder are tied with Miami for the league’s best record and their 119 points were one shy of their most in regulation this season.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Thursday’s game features the league’s top two scorers - Kobe Bryant averages 28.5 points per game and Durant 27.7
2. Durant will replace Atlanta’s Joe Johnson in the 3-point contest, competing for the first time. Durant has twice won the H-O-R-S-E competition before it was discontinued.
3. The Thunder swept the season series against the Celtics for the first time in six years, having lost at Boston all three times since moving from Seattle.