Claremore Daily Progress

Sports

March 6, 2013

Thunder put down Lakers

MICHAEL KINNEY CNHI News Services

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Los Angeles Lakers were looking to make a statement. After climbing to within two games of the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, they needed a victory over one of the elite teams to prove they were for real.



The Lakers found that test in Oklahoma City against the defending conference champions. Even though a battered and beat up L.A. squad fought down to the final minutes, they still fell 122-105 Tuesday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.



"I told these guys they are good," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They are probably the best team in the West. We need to measure up against it. We knew that two things were going to happen. We need to make the playoffs and then get Pau (Gasol) back and then we will see. "



The Lakers (30-31) had their chances to steal the win. Steve Nash drained a 3-pointer to cut the lead to five, Oklahoma City scored four straight, including a Serge Ibaka 3-pointer to push advantage to nine with 3:39 left.



The Thunder (44-16) forced Kobe Bryant to give the ball up and the Lakers were unable to make the open shots. In the final three minutes Dwight Howard fouled out and World Peace injured his ankle and had to leave the game.



Oklahoma City put the game away with back to back dunks from Ibaka and Russell Westbrook that got the Thunder faithful on their feet.



“This time of the year, our crowd is always like that,” Westbrook said. “The Lakers came in and basically everybody said it was a must win. We needed the win to. We came out with a sense of urgency as well.”



Westbrook had a game-high 37 points on 15-for-29 shooting. He also racked up 10 rebounds and five assists. Kevin Durant added 26 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.



The Thunder tied a NBA record with only two turnovers for the entire game.



Bryant paced L.A. with 30 points and was 11-for-12 from the charity stripe. Nash kicked in 20 points and World Peace added 16 in the defeat.



"You can always try to find positive things," Bryant said. "But for us right now, we have to get some wins. They played really well. "



The Lakers' fortunes took a down turn early in the first quarter when Bryant had to be taken to the locker room after banging elbows with the Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha. He was diagnosed with an ulnar nerve contusion. In the process, L.A. started the game 0-9 from the field.



Bryant returned to the game five minutes later and helped restore calmness to the Lakers. But the Thunder kept rolling as they led 37-28 to start the second quarter.



Oklahoma City pushed the advantage to 16 points before their emotions got the better of them. After being called for a foul on Howard, Derek Fisher was handed a technical foul. Durant then earned his 13th technical foul of the season talking to ref Joey Crawford as the teams headed toward their benches for a timeout. He will have to sit a game if he gets three more.



“Joey is a good ref and I respect him a lot,” Durant said. “But hopefully that gets rescinded. All I asked him was, verbatim, is ‘Can I talk to you? And he got me with one.”



The Lakers took advantage and cut the Oklahoma City's advantage down to eight. Bryant knocked down consecutive long range, contested 3-pointer and scored eight straight points to get L.A. back into the contest.



But that just seemed to wake up the Thunder's defense and they forced the Lakers into difficult shots. Oklahoma City scored a season high for a first half as they pulled ahead 71-55 at halftime.



The Lakers stormed back in the third behind Bryant, Nash and the 3-point shot. They got the lead down to eight points heading into the fourth quarter.



"I don't think we played a great game," Nash said. "We had some turnovers and I feel like we didn’t make the second effort. Especially going against a great team like this."

 

Text Only
Sports
  • Practice_051web.jpg ‘All-State Brace’

    All the hours and hard work of keeping the Claremore Zebra athletes injury-free in order to reach their dreams at the highest level helped graduate Averey Brace fulfill a huge accomplishment in her athletic training career.
    Brace, a recent 2013 graduate of Claremore High School, received All-State honors from the Oklahoma Coaches Association earlier this month for her three-year commitment to the Claremore High School athletic training program.

    May 17, 2013 1 Photo

  • Sign up now for OSU Baseball Camp

    Oklahoma State Baseball will be holding a pair of camps in June for players in grades 1-8, and registration is now open.
     
    Session I of the camp is June 17-19, with Session II set for June 24-26, and cost for each camp is $200. Camp runs from 9 a.m.-noon each day.

    May 17, 2013

  • Lady Zebra volleyball camp set for May 20

    The Claremore Lady Zebra volleyball camp will take place on May 20-23 at the Claremore High School gymnasium.
    Under the direction of Lady Zebra head coach Lindsey Renfroe, campers will receive instruction in fundamentals — passing, setting, hitting and serving.

    May 17, 2013

  • Green Country All-Star Games start May 23 in Catoosa

    Area senior all-star athletes from 21 schools in northeastern Oklahoma will lace up their high tops, hoist their bats and dust off their pom-poms in preparation for the 2013 Green Country All-Star Games held May 23-24 in Catoosa.

    May 17, 2013

  • SEC BASEBALL: Auburn blanks No. 13 Arkansas, 3-0

    Conner Kendrick and Terrance Dedrick combined on a five-hit shutout as Auburn defeated No. 13 Arkansas, 3-0, in the series opener on Thursday night at Plainsman Park.

    Arkansas drops to 34-18 overall and 17-10 in Southeastern Conference play, while Auburn is now 32-21 and 12-16 in league play.

    May 17, 2013

  • GOLF: Bradley gets course-record 60 at Byron Nelson

    Keegan Bradley had no thoughts of a course record, or the possibility of a 59, after consecutive bogeys in the middle of his opening round at the Byron Nelson Championship.

    Until his 136-yard wedge shot on his final hole Thursday.

    “It was going right at it. (A 59) crossed my mind for a second, and it would be unbelievable if I buried this,” Bradley said. “But I had 3 feet to shoot 60. I was actually very nervous, uncomfortable over it and thank God I made it.”

    May 17, 2013

  • Cowboys rock Mountaineers, 7-4

    Oklahoma State showcased its offensive ability in its series opener against West Virginia on Thursday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

    Whether it’s small ball or the long ball — both of which came into effect — the 16th-ranked Cowboys are proving they can find a way to win here late in the season with a 7-4 mauling of the Mountaineers.

    May 17, 2013

  • OU baseball closes out regular season play at K-State

    Moods were light as Oklahoma boarded a bus for Manhattan, Kan., Thursday afternoon. What they’ll be like by Sunday depends on what transpires over the next three games.

    The Sooners’ season hinges on the outcome.

    May 17, 2013

  • Westbrook's injury hinders Thunder's playoff run

    The way Kevin Martin describes it, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the “vision” of a potential championship run the morning they learned All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook would be out for the rest of the postseason.

    May 17, 2013

  • NSU women's golf in 8th place at NCAA Division II Championship

    The Northeastern State women’s golf team sits in eighth place after Thursday’s second round of the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships on the par-72, 6,228-yard Legends Course at LPGA International.

    May 17, 2013