Gasol’s 18 points helps Lakers edge Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY—Pau Gasol scored 18 points and 11 rebounds and Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles edged Oklahoma City 90-87 in a matchup of first-place teams on Sunday.

All-star game MVP Kobe Bryant finished with 17 points for the Pacific Division leading Lakers who beat the Thunder for the 14th time in the last 15 contests.

The Thunder had two late chances in the closing moments to send the game into a potential overtime but Kevin Durant and James Harden each missed their three-point shots from the top of the key.

Russell Westbrook had a team-high 22 points and Durant scored 21 for the Thunder who were held to a season-low 31 second-half points. It marks the first three-game losing streak of the season for Oklahoma City.

Serge Ibaka, of Congo, finished with a game-high 13 boards and six points for the Northwest Division-leading Thunder.
Lakers forward Lamar Odom missed a pair of free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining that made room for the potential game-tieing threes by Durant and Harden.