By Jack Carey, USA TODAY
Updated 13m ago
Another Thunder comeback, another Lakers meltdown.
Just when you thought the Los Angeles Lakers were ready to reassert themselves and make things complicated for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are trying to make the Western Conference finals for the second year in a row, OKC took another step toward elite status.
By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images
Game 4 of the West semifinals turned on a dime Saturday night as the Thunder roared back from a 13-point deficit in the last eight minutes for a 103-100 win and a 3-1 series lead.
The Thunder can close out the Lakers Monday night.
In the fourth quarter of the second of back-to-back games, it was the younger, fresher-looking Thunder who had the answers on both ends of the court. And it was the older Lakers who couldn't get a stop and whose offense went stagnant.
It was Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant who made most of the big plays with the game on the line, and it wasKobe Bryant who came up short.
By Jayne Kamin-Oncea, US Presswire
And now, the Lakers, whose postseason record is only 5-6 with five losses in their last seven games, have to hit the road staring at elimination.
Combined with the San Antonio Spurs' big afternoon rally for a winagainst the Los Angeles Clippers in the same building, it was a bad day for L.A. How did the Spurs put the Clippers in this big hole? A man by the name of Gregg Popovich.
So, Saturday's winners are one victory each from a Western Conference finals matchup that looks like one of the most intriguing in years.
Winners
Kevin Durant: 31 points, 13 rebounds, and huge steal of a Pau Gasol pass that led to the game's biggest shot: a tie-breaking three-pointer with 13.7 seconds remaining that might have put the dagger in the Lakers' season.
Russell Westbrook: Overcame a nasty-looking slip at the end of the first half that caused him to get treatment on his hip and finished with 37 points and five assists in 43 minutes. And when the final buzzer went off, he looked like he was ready to keep going.
Tim Duncan: He finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots while sparking the key Spurs rally. Sports Illustrated reporter Chris Ballard wrote in a feature story last week for the magazine, "Duncan hates Kevin Garnett. Hates him the way liberals hate Sean Hannity." Garnett, the Boston Celtics' 36-year-old, future Hall-of-Fame power forward, had been a star of the second round prior to posting a dud Friday. Has Duncan ever had a bad game? Advantage: the guy with four rings, not one. As always.
By Mark J. Terrill, AP
Blake Griffin: The Clippers forward had 14 points and five rebounds while shooting 7-for-8 in the first quarter. He finished with 28 and 15 on 13-for-24 shooting. Griffin has been playing with a sprained left knee, but he appeared to return to his dominant form for that first quarter. He was spinning, dunking, shooting and displaying the post moves that endeared him enough to fans that he was picked an All-Star Game starter in his second season. He even threw down on Duncan in the second quarter. He disappeared at times, but so did every Clipper. Griffin was the best player in white and red.
Tony Parker: Two days after his 30th birthday, the Spurs point guard had his highest-scoring game of this series, posting 23 points and 10 assists.
Staples Center crew: Two games, one day. Think about that. Even the floor has to change.
Losers
Kobe Bryant: He finished with 38 points but shot 2-for-10 in the fourth quarter, which, for him, was filled with questionable shot selection.
Andrew Bynum: After watching the Lakers center go to town in the first half, the Thunder started fronting him. He got only four second-half field goal attempts, and the Lakers started taking jumpers instead. The lead soon disappeared.
Chris Paul: Playing with a strained hip flexor, the Clippers point guard has fumbled all season. He had eight assists in the first quarter but finished with 11 with 12 points on 5-for-17 shooting. He only got to the free throw line twice. On one play, he drove to the basket, got an open look but appeared glued to the floor. He hesitated with two Spurs behind him, then tried a layup but was blocked.
Nick Young: First, he wore this. Then he shot 1-for-5 on three-pointers. He's a streaky shooter, but the Clippers need him to contribute off the bench.
The Spurs' bench: A lot of that first half can be pinned on Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal and Matt Bonner. Manu Ginobili was in for some of the comeback, but most of the work can be attributed to the starters. It's possible that Popovich saw what was happening and gave his starters a rest. But the group is generally better than that.
Contributing: Adi Joseph
More from USATODAY
More from the web
- Stars Who Make Weight Gain Look Good (You Beauty)
- 7 Habits of Highly Frugal People(MoneyNing)
- What 5 Kentucky Derby Winners Are Doing Now (Vetstreet)
- Dallas Mavericks: What to do with Lamar Odom (TheFanHub.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment