Thunder on the brink of advancing

LOS ANGELES - Reuters

Kevin Durant sank a late three-pointer to lead the Thunder past the LA Lakers. AFP photo

A late three-pointer by Kevin Durant capped a dramatic fightback by the Oklahoma City Thunder as they left the Los Angeles Lakers on the verge of playoff elimination with a 103-100 win in Game Four on May 19.

The second-seeded Thunder stormed from 11 points behind early in the final quarter to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals.

Forward Durant finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds while guard Russell Westbrook weighed in with 37 points as Oklahoma City stunned a sellout crowd at Staples Center that had sensed a home win.
“I wanted to run the shot clock down and get the last shot,” Durant said of his three-pointer with 13.7 seconds remaining. “It left my hand, (and) I was thinking, ‘If this doesn’t go in, it’s going to be a terrible shot’. It was able to go down.”

Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 38 points and eight rebounds but his team was let down by poor shooting, turnovers and a leaking defense over the closing stretch.

“It was an amazing win,” said Westbrook, whose 37 points came from 15-of-26 shooting. “Everybody kept fighting. We all believed in each other. It’s the playoffs.”