LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s perfection at the free-throw line was big for the desperate Lakers. His poise in the fourth quarter was even bigger, and it got Los Angeles back into its second-round series with Oklahoma City. LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES — Kobe Bryant’s perfection at the free-throw line was big for the desperate Lakers. His poise in the fourth quarter was even bigger, and it got Los Angeles back into its second-round series with Oklahoma City.
Bryant made 18 free throws without a miss and scored 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers rallied late for a 99-96 victory in Game 3 on Friday night, cutting the Thunder’s second-round series lead to 2-1.
Metta World Peace swiped the ball from Kevin Durant and hit two free throws with 12.9 seconds left for the third-seeded Lakers, who shook off the memory of their late collapse in Game 2. When Durant missed a potential tying 3-pointer before Andrew Bynum blocked Serge Ibaka’s shot at the buzzer, the Lakers’ frenzied crowd celebrated only their second victory in the last six playoff games.
Durant scored 31 points before missing his last shot for Oklahoma City, which seemed poised to move to the brink of its second straight trip to the Western Conference finals with a five-point lead inside the final 3 minutes. Instead, the Thunder lost for the first time in the postseason, getting outscored 12-4 down the stretch.
Lakers 99, Thunder 96
OKLAHOMA CITY (96)
Durant 12-23 6-6 31, Ibaka 4-10 0-0 8, Perkins 2-5 2-2 6, Westbrook 7-18 7-8 21, Sefolosha 1-5 0-0 3, Harden 4-13 11-12 21, Fisher 2-7 0-0 4, Collison 1-1 0-0 2, Mohammed 0-1 0-0 0, Cook 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-83 26-28 96.
L.A. LAKERS (99)
World Peace 3-10 2-2 10, Gasol 4-8 4-4 12, Bynum 2-13 11-12 15, Sessions 5-9 2-2 12, Bryant 9-25 18-18 36, Hill 0-0 2-2 2, Blake 4-5 2-2 12, Barnes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-70 41-42 99.
Oklahoma City 15 32 23 26 — 96
L.A. Lakers 23 27 19 30 — 99
3-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 4-17 (Harden 2-5, Sefolosha 1-3, Durant 1-4, Fisher 0-1, Ibaka 0-1, Westbrook 0-3), L.A. Lakers 4-11 (Blake 2-2, World Peace 2-8, Bryant 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Oklahoma City 45 (Ibaka 11), L.A. Lakers 51 (Gasol, Bynum 11). Assists—Oklahoma City 13 (Sefolosha 4), L.A. Lakers 20 (Bryant, Gasol 6). Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 30, L.A. Lakers 22. Technicals—Perkins, Westbrook, World Peace. A—18,997 (18,997).
