NBA Playoffs Basketball Matchup: Thunder vs Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers looked poised to walk away with a win in Game 2 of their Western Conference second-round series in Oklahoma, but the Thunder rallied behind a superhuman effort from Kevin Durant to head out west, up two games to none for Game 3 on Friday.
Date/Time: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, May 18, 2012
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Broadcast: ESPN
Spread: LA -2.5
Over/Under: 191.5
The teams won’t get any rest, with Game 4 set for Saturday night at the Staples Center, and Oklahoma won’t want get caught having to come from behind again.
So they will need to improve their shooting, which was horrible in Game 2, as the Thunder missed 20 of its first 27 shots in the second half of Wednesday’s game, but eventually found a way to climb back into it for a 77-75 win.
Really, it was more just one colossal collapse by the Lakers who squandered a seven-point advantage in the last two minutes of the contest. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Nevertheless, a win is a win, and you have to admit Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook all played their butts off, forcing turnovers and blocking shots. Including a couple of big ones by Harden on Kobe Bryant.
That type of play limited the Lakers to just five fast-break points in Game 2, and the Thunder held Bryant to just 20 points on the night..
But perhaps the biggest blunder for the Lakers, was Metta World Peace’s decision to pass the ball to Steve Blake rather than perennial got-to-guy Bryant in the final seconds, as Blake misfired from 23 feet to complete Los Angeles’ demise.
Free Pick : Thunder- Oklahoma City’s comeback bore an uncanny resemblance to Game 1 of its first-round series against Dallas, when it trailed by seven with 2 1/2 minutes left before rallying to win. With the Thunder taking risks on the defensive end down the stretch.
The thing I think OKC has that the Lakers lack– is balls. I expect a younger, hungrier Thunder squad to roll into LA and come out one game closer to the sweep.
