Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Lakers vs Lakers Thunder Game 5 NBA


Kobe Bryant had 13 points and seven assists in three quarters of work as  the defending NBA champions coolly shook off the eighth-seeded  Thunder’s series-tying blowout win in Game 4 with a comprehensive  thrashing of the postseason newcomers.


The Lakers got a lot of help from areas that have been lacking. Pau  Gasol had 25 points in about 30 minutes, including five for five from  the free-throw line. And Andrew Bynum came out strong in the first  quarter and turned in a 21-point game. Kobe Bryant, who also played only  30 minutes, finished with 13 points but no one seemed to mind. The  Lakers had good spacing on offense and aggressive defense.


For the Thunder, they just have to do what they have been doing at home.  They have packed the paint and made it hard to get the ball to the  Laker big men Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Their length has given LA some  problems inside (but not that much, when they do shoot the percentage  is pretty high). They have made the Lakers jumpshooters, and they blew  them out.


The Thunder roared out to a 12-point lead after the first quarter on  Saturday, as they rolled past the Lakers 110-89 to even the  best-of-seven Western quarterfinal. Oklahoma City won the game as a  1-point favorite, while the combined score made it OVER the posted total  of 193.5. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 22 points, four rebounds  and four assists. Russell Westbrook had 18 points and eight rebounds for  the victory. Andrew Bynum had 13 points and 10 rebounds for a  double-double in leading the Thunder.


After Los Angeles won the first two games,  Oklahoma City evened the series and gained a wealth of confidence with  back-to-back wins. The Thunder embarrassed the Lakers in Game 4, going  ahead by 29 points and holding Bryant to 12 after the former MVP didn’t  take a shot in the first quarter.



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