Thunder 120, Lakers 106
Kevin Durant scored 31 points and the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder used a late 15-0 surge to send the Los Angeles Lakers to their fifth straight loss with a 120-106 victory on Sunday.
Russell Westbrook finished with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while James Harden scored 16 off the bench for Oklahoma City. The win keeps the Thunder (54-26) within one game of the second seed in the Western Conference.
Kobe Bryant’s 31 points paced the Lakers (55-25), who have their first five-game losing skid since 2007 and dropped into a tie with Dallas for the West’s No. 2 spot.
The Lakers carried a five-point lead into the fourth quarter but slowly watched it dissipate. Nazr Mohammed hit a 15-foot jumper at the 6:54 mark and Durant then hit a jumper to put the Thunder ahead, 100-97.
Bryant was fouled while converting a layup with 3:10 to go, hitting the free throw to give the Lakers the 104-103 lead. But that would be the Lakers’ final basket until nine seconds remained.
Thabo Sefolosha followed Bryant’s bucket with a 3-pointer, Durant hit a long jumper and Westbrook finished a layup and then a four-point play for a 114-104 advantage with under a minute left.