The Lakers were hoping for a season-high four-game winning streak when they played Oklahoma City on Sunday at Staples Center.
But it did not happen as the Thunder held off a late Lakers rally to earn a 108-101 victory.
The Lakers had six players score in double figures, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the Thunder, which had five players score in double figures in the absence of injured All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Jeremy Lin led the Lakers with 20 points on seven-for-14 shooting off the bench and Jordan Hill had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Hill also made his first career three-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
D.J. Augustin led the Thunder with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
Serge Ibaka had a double-double for the Thunder with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
The Lakers leave Monday for a three-game trip, starting in Charlotte on Tuesday and winding through Miami on Wednesday and finishing at Memphis on Friday.
Thunder 84, Lakers 72 (end of third quarter)
The Lakers kept losing ground to Oklahoma City in the third quarter and kept trying to rally back.
By the end of the quarter, though, the Lakers trailed by 12 points.
The Lakers once trailed by 13 points but cut the deficit to as few as five.
Ryan Kelly was the man for the Lakers in the third, scoring eight of his 10 points in the quarter.
Nick Collison had five of his 10 points in the third quarter for the Thunder.
D.J. Augustin, starting for the injured Russell Westbrook, has been a steadying force for the Thunder, producing 18 points through three quarters.
Thunder 56, Lakers 48 (halftime)
The Lakers got a boost from reserves Ed Davis and Wesley Johnson.
Davis finished the first half with 10 points by making all five of his shots, helping the Lakers stay within eight points of the Thunder at the intermission.
Davis also had five rebounds in the first 24 minutes.
Johnson had eight points and four rebounds in the first half. He was three-for-eight shooting from the field, two of four from three-point range.
D.J. Augustin, who started in place of injured All-Star Russell Westbrook, had 13 first-half points for the Thunder, including a 32-foot, leaning three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer.
Thunder 28, Lakers 19 (end of first quarter)
The Lakers shot poorly in the first quarter, allowing Oklahoma City to take a nine-point lead heading into the second quarter Sunday at Staples Center.
The Lakers shot only 31.8% from the field and trailed by as many as 13 points.
It didn’t help the Lakers that Carlos Boozer got off to a one-for-five start and had just one rebound in his seven minutes of action.
But the Lakers pulled to with nine points after Jordan Clarkson flipped in a shot just before the first-quarter buzzer.
The Lakers are facing a Thunder team going through their own assortment of injuries and are missing All-Stars Russell Westbrook (right facial fracture) and Kevin Durant (right foot).
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