Kyle Kuzma scores 32 points to lead Los Angeles Lakers to overtime win over Oklahoma City Thunder
Friday 18 January 2019 07:16, UK
Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers to a 138-128 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road on Thursday night.
Without LeBron James and Rajon Rondo for the 12th consecutive game, the Lakers relied on Kuzma and Ivica Zubac off the bench, as well as Lonzo Ball.
Kuzma hit seven three-pointers. Zubac scored a career-high 26 points while Ball added 18, including five points in overtime as the Lakers outscored Oklahoma City 16-6.
The Thunder have lost five of their last six games.
After building a big early lead thanks to the three-pointer, the Thunder faltered from behind the arc in overtime, going 2-for-11 on threes. Oklahoma City did not attempt a field goal inside the arc in overtime.
Paul George led the Thunder with 27 points while Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 13 assists, but was just 7-of-30 from the field.
Oklahoma City forced overtime thanks to Jerami Grant's block of Kuzma's driving lay-up with less than 10 seconds remaining, forcing the Lakers into a shot-clock violation.
Westbrook missed two critical shots at the rim in the final minute, but the Thunder put the game back into his hands in the final seconds and it paid off.
Westbrook was fouled by Ball shooting a three-pointer with 2.9 seconds left. Coming into the game, Westbrook was shooting a career-worst 64.2 per cent from the free-throw line but he hit all three from the charity stripe to tie the game and Kuzma missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
The teams entered the night as two of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA - the Lakers ranked 28th in the league and the Thunder dead last.
But the teams combined for 41 three-pointers, with Oklahoma City hitting 22.
Both teams set season highs for three-pointers. The Thunder's mark set a franchise record, breaking the previous record of 20.
