Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant moves past Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
LOS ANGELES – Kevin Durant delivered 42 points, eight rebounds and five assists Friday as Oklahoma City dealt the reeling Los Angeles Lakers a sixth straight NBA defeat, 116-101.
Russell Westbrook scored 27 points with 10 assists and Kevin Martin chipped in 15 points for the Thunder, who have won four of their last five games.
“A great team win for us,” said Durant. “My teammates did a good job of getting me the ball. We moved the ball so well, which makes it easy for everybody.”
Meanwhile, nothing seems easy these days for the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 28 points and Antawn Jamison contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers have now lost six in a row for the first time since a seven-game skid from March 2-15 in 2007.
“We played hard the whole game, but they were just better,” Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They were just longer, faster, better team-wise and we crumbled away.”
The Lakers were again without Dwight Howard, who is nursing a shoulder injury, and Pau Gasol, who is recovering from a concussion.
And they got more bad news on the day when Jordan Hill was advised that his hip injury needs season-ending surgery.
“Not a good place,” D’Antoni said of the Lakers’ situation before the game.
After it was over, Los Angeles remained five games behind Portland for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference.