Thunder 52, Lakers 50 (halftime)
The Lakers were unable to hold their early lead, which had climbed to as high as 11 points. Instead, the Thunder climbed ahead by the end of the half for a two-point lead.
Thunder All-Star guard Russell Westbrook leads all scorers with 21 points in 17 minutes. He made all 13 of his free throws in the half. Reggie Jackson added 12 off the bench for Oklahoma City, which made 42.5% of its shots from the field.
Ronnie Price scored 14 points in the first quarter but didn’t add to his total in the second. Kobe Bryant shot one for six from the field for four points.
The Lakers shot 44.2% from the field as a team.
Lakers 26, Thunder 20 (end of first quarter)
Ronnie Price nearly hit his career high of 18 points by scoring 14 in nine minutes to help the Lakers get off to a quick start against the Thunder.
The Lakers led by as many as 11 points, shooting 45.8% from the field. Kobe Bryant didn’t score in 12 minutes, but the team finished the quarter ahead of the Thunder by six.
Perry Jones started in place of Durant, going scoreless in five minutes.
Russell Westbrook leads Oklahoma City with nine points in nine minutes. The Thunder shot just 31.6% from the field.
Pregame
The Lakers (8-17) have been off since Monday, but they’ll return to the court on Friday night, hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder (12-14).
The Thunder are on the second night of a back-to-back, after Kevin Durant suffered a mild right ankle sprain in a loss to the Golden State Warriors and will be out against the Lakers.
The Lakers are still down Xavier Henry (Achilles), Ryan Kelly (hamstring), Steve Nash (back) and Julius Randle (leg).
For an in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus
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