Byron Scott Fired by LA Lakers

Byron Scott will not return to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season, the team announced late Sunday night.

Scott coached the Lakers for the two worst seasons in the 16-time NBA champion franchise’s history, going 38-126. The Lakers are making another break from the Kobe Bryant era by firing the coach who shepherded the superstar guard’s farewell season, but couldn’t coax many wins out of an otherwise dismal roster.

Los Angeles finished with the NBA’s second-worst record at 17-65 this season, losing four more games than in its previous franchise-worst season in 2014-15.

“We would like to thank Byron for his hard work, dedication and loyalty over the last two years, but have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to make a change at this time,” general manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement.

Scott understood that his job was in jeopardy last week. He won three NBA titles as the shooting guard for the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, playing alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy on some of the greatest teams in league history.

“This is my dream job, and obviously you want the opportunity to turn it all around,” Scott said. “But I understand the business of basketball, and it’s all about wins and losses.”

Scott received praise from Kupchak last week for his handling of the final months for Bryant, who was Scott’s teammate during his rookie season with the Lakers 20 years ago. Bryant scored 60 points in his final game April 13, a win over Utah.

But the Lakers struggled to play competent defense or to put together coherent game plans over the past two seasons with a roster of youngsters and unimpressive veterans.

Scott also didn’t seem to connect with the Lakers’ young players. His old-school mentality generated little positive effect in Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson or D’Angelo Russell, the second overall pick whose playing time was curiously limited by Scott early in the season.

Although the Lakers acknowledged that Bryant’s season-long showcase took precedence over winning this season, Kupchak and owner Jim Buss still apparently expected more than Scott provided.

“Guys that know me know I’m not happy with the way we played as a basketball team,” Scott said last week. “I think we could have been a lot better if we had really honed in on some of the things we needed to hone in on early. But that’s kind of the price you’ve got to pay with young guys, too. It takes some young guys a bit longer to develop, but the bottom line is the record, and that’s what you judge guys by.”

Scott had two seasons with team options left on his contract.

The Lakers are now looking for their fifth head coach since Phil Jackson left in 2011. Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni were fired before Scott, with interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff also getting a short run.

Scott is a veteran head coach with previous tenures at New Jersey, New Orleans and Cleveland. He led the Nets to two NBA Finals in his first head job, and he won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award with the Hornets in 2008.

The Lakers waited to fire Scott while two top candidates for head coaching positions took other jobs. Tom Thibodeau landed in Minnesota, and Scott Brooks was hired by Washington.

Lakers fans have been intrigued for months by the prospect of hiring Luke Walton, the championship-winning Lakers forward who is an assistant coach on Steve Kerr’s staff at Golden State. The 36-year-old Walton, who played nine seasons in Los Angeles, coached Golden State to a 39-4 start to the season while Kerr was sidelined by a back injury.

The Lakers’ new coach will inherit a young, patchwork roster with a core of intriguing talent. Russell, Randle and Clarkson are all solid players, and the Lakers will keep their high draft pick if they finish in the top three of the NBA draft lottery next month.

The Lakers also will have more than $40 million in salary cap room to offer free agents, and Scott’s absence could help there as well.

The once-glamorous franchise has been incredibly unsuccessful in attracting or keeping marquee free agents over the past four seasons, even losing Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to other teams for relatively modest contracts. But the departures of Bryant and Scott with the installation of a credible head coach could prove more enticing to stars interested in the added benefits of playing in the Hollywood spotlight.

Related articles

• Report: Los Angeles Lakers Fire Head Coach Byron Scott
• Los Angeles Lakers send coach Byron Scott packing
• Byron Scott Reportedly Fired By Lakers As Head Coach After Disappointing Season
• Report: Lakers Finally Fire Byron Scott
• Lakers Split With Byron Scott
• Byron Scott will not return as LA Lakers head coach next season

Farewell Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant - Getty Images

Five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final game as he ended a glittering 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was the sixth time the NBA's third highest scorer had scored 60 points, beaten only by Wilt Chamberlain.

You can't write something better than this," said 37-year-old Bryant, who helped the Lakers come from behind to beat Utah Jazz 101-96.

Basketball fans paid up to $27,500 (£19,315) to see Bryant's final game.

He attempted 50 shots on the night, the most by anyone in an NBA game in the last 30 seasons.

Bryant led the Lakers as they overturned a 20-point deficit at half-time, scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter of his 1,556th game with the team.

Bryant, who made his debut in November 1996, finished with 33,643 career points - third on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Karl Malone (36,928).

He checked out with 4.1 seconds left and hugged former team-mate Shaquille O'Neal as a sell-out crowd at the Staples Center chanted: "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!''

The 18-time All-Star, known as the 'Black Mamba,' told the crowd: "I can't believe how fast 20 years went by, this is crazy.

"What's funny is the fact I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball, then the last night they're like 'don't pass it!'

Bryant, who was voted Most Valuable Player in 2008, the same year he won the first of his two Olympic gold medals with the United States, added: "To carry on the legacy and tradition of all the great Lakers that came before - it's unfathomable. I can't express what a dream this is.

"I gave everything I could to the game, that's why I'm so comfortable walking away. I bared my soul to this game, I left it all here."

Reflecting on his final game and a remarkable comeback that produced a fairytale victory, Bryant continued: "All night long my team-mates were just continuing to feed me the ball, I just had to take the challenge.

"I tried to not watch the news, to just stay in the present because I didn't want to come out here and completely stink it up - which I did for the first five minutes!

"I was just like, 'OK, I've got to settle down'. Defensively I got some plays - I got some steals, I got a block - and that kind of got me into the game a little bit."

Lakers legend Magic Johnson had earlier told the crowd: "He never cheated us as fans. He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it."

US President Barack Obama joined in with the tributes, tweeting: "farewell for an all-timer".

Related articles

• Bryant Scores 17 In Phoenix Finale, But Lakers Lose Again
• Father Time 'can't catch up' to Dirk Nowitzki
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Hung Around For Long Time, They Got Tired Of Me
• WATCH: Dirk Nowitzki Reaches 29,000 Career Points
• Benton native Doug Collins to be inducted into Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
• Lakers Trade Rumors: DeMarcus Cousins Headed to LA This Offseason?

76ers Win to Spoil Kobe Visit

The 76ers ended a 28-game losing streak that dated back to last season, dispensing with the visiting Los Angeles Lakers by a 103-91 score in future Hall of Famer Bryant's last appearance in Philly. It was the first win for the Sixers since March 25 at Denver.

"Finally," forward Nerlens Noel said.

Coach Brett Brown's team has long languished at the bottom of the NBA standings and has reeled off two losing streaks of at least 26 games in his three seasons. For one night, in front of a sellout crowd of 20,510 that came to cheer Bryant, the streaks hardly mattered.

"I'm pleased for the city," Brown said. "We don't want this streak continuing."

Hours earlier, Bryant felt the love in Philadelphia as soon as he entered the arena.

He took selfies with fans who might never see him play again, and his presence injected a playoff atmosphere into a city that has lost much of its passion for NBA basketball.

With a packed crowd standing and roaring in appreciation, Bryant was lauded like a hometown hero, not the "Hometown Zero" he once was labeled in Philadelphia tabloids.

Bryant, who will end his 20-year career this season, opened the first leg of his farewell tour in his hometown and was feted with the kind of reverence and gratitude normally reserved for a Sixers great.

"I wasn't expecting that type of reaction -- ovation," he said. "Deeply appreciative beyond belief. It was really, really special."

Playing with the shot selection of a pickup artist, Bryant tried to deliver a special performance in his finale. He buried a step-back 3-pointer off the opening tip. He hit another 3 on the next possession.

Bryant made it 3-for-3 and had the Philly crowd chanting "M-V-P!" as he turned back the clock to his championship form.

"It was a little spurt of old-school Kobe," Noel said.

Bryant said he could tell the start made the Sixers a little starstruck -- most were babies when he started his career.

"I could sense they were like, 'I really don't want to touch him.' ... 'Is this going to be an 81 type of situation?'" Bryant said. "I'm just playing possum because I know my legs ain't going to carry this energy for 48 minutes."

Bryant scored 20 points on 7-of-26 shooting and made four three-pointers

Related articles

• Sixers in search of a starting point guard
• Metta World Peace is back in the NBA
• Fresh Start? Lamar Odom Returns to Instagram - Posts Healthy Food Snap
• Lamar Odom Makes His Return to Instagram--See the Pics!
• Shaquille O'Neal: Kobe Bryant Should Play Beyond Next Season
• Lamar Odom Returns To Instgram In A New, Hopeful Way

Lakers Surprise with Mike D'Antoni

Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers, in a surprising move, announced Monday morning that they have signed former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni to replace Mike Brown as head coach.

D'Antoni's has a four-year contract, his agent, Warren LeGarie, confirmed late Sunday night, several hours after the Lakers beat Sacramento 103-90 for their second straight win under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff.

A league source said D'Antoni has a three-year deal worth $12 million and that the fourth year is a club option.

The deal was signed around 11:30 p.m. PT Sunday night, a source close to the situation told ESPN. Sources confirmed a Los Angeles Times report that D'Antoni quickly agreed to coach the Lakers after L.A.'s weekend of negotiations to bring back Phil Jackson broke down.

The Lakers said they plan to hold a news conference most likely on Tuesday or Wednesday. In a statement released by the team, Lakers spokesperson John Black said team owner Jerry Buss, executive vice president Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak were "unanimous that D'Antoni was the best coach for the team at this time."

Sources told ESPN that Jackson's triangle offense was seen as a benefit to Bryant and Pau Gasol, but not as conducive to the rest of the players on the roster -- namely point guard Steve Nash and centre Dwight Howard. Another strike against the triangle was the fact that this Lakers team struggled mightily to pick up the similarly complicated Princeton-style offense being instituted by Brown.

A league source indicated late Sunday night that Jackson was "stunned" when the Lakers called to inform him they had chosen D'Antoni. He had been prepared to accept the job Monday if negotiations between his agent and the Lakers went well. Jackson's agent Todd Musberger had been scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on Monday

Jackson and the Lakers had never spoken about a salary, the source said, "but he knew coaches don't make what he used to make anymore." Jackson, the source said, also never intended to miss any more road games than he had in his previous years with the Lakers.

"Phil would come back only to win and skipping games doesn't lead to winning," the source said.

D'Antoni, who had knee surgery at the beginning of November, hasn't yet been cleared to travel, according to sources, and "it'll be a couple of days before he comes in, but he's further along than people believe." There is a possibility that Bickerstaff will remain interim head coach even after D'Antoni's introductory news conference, according to a source, if D'Antoni isn't feeling physically able to coach games just yet.

Part of the current crop of leftovers from Brown's staff are expected to be retained by D'Antoni, along with "one or two" new coaches that he will bring in with him, according to a source. Two candidates to join D'Antoni are his older brother and longtime assistant, Dan D'Antoni, as well Phil Weber, another longtime aide.

D'Antoni spent five seasons coaching Nash in Phoenix. Nash won two MVP awards while running D'Antoni's signature up-tempo offense, and they won at least 54 games in each of D'Antoni's last four seasons.

D'Antoni then coached New York for the past four seasons, resigning last March after a largely unsuccessful tenure featuring just one playoff appearance and no postseason victories.

Nash and Bryant expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of playing for D'Antoni, although Bryant eagerly campaigned for a third stint for Jackson on the Lakers' bench. Bryant idolized D'Antoni while growing up in Italy, where D'Antoni was a star player in the Italian league.

"Obviously I think everyone knows how much I love Mike," Nash said Sunday night prior to the hiring. "If (D'Antoni) were to coach, it would be seamless and terrific for me, and I think the team as well."

The Lakers have improved to 3-4 after following up their winless preseason with four losses in their first five regular-season games, the club's worst start since 1993.

Brown was fired after the Lakers stumbled badly out of the gate, struggling to learn his Princeton-inflected offense and playing mediocre defense.

D'Antoni has a reputation as an offensive-minded coach, although his NBA teams typically have played fairly solid defense, statistically speaking.

The Lakers' next game is Tuesday night against San Antonio. Phoenix visits Staples Center on Friday.

Source: ESPN

Related articles

• In Stunning Turn Of Events, Lakers Pick D'Antoni Over Jackson For Vacancy
• Los Angeles Lakers Choose Mike D'Antoni Over Phil Jackson
• You: Twitter Explodes as Lakers Hire D'Antoni Over Phil Jackson
• Lakers hire Mike D'Antoni as new coach
• Lakers hire former Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni
• Report: Mike D'Antoni Signs Four-Year Deal to Become Lakers New Head Coach

LA Lakers Fire Coach Brown

Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has been fired after a disappointing 1-4 start to the season, the team announced Friday.

"I have great respect for the Buss family and the Lakers' storied tradition and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me," Brown said in a statement. "I have a deep appreciation for the coaches and players that I worked with this past year and I wish the organisation nothing but success as they move forward."

Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff will take over as interim coach for Friday night's home game against the Warriors.

"Today we relieved Mike Brown of his head coaching duties with the Los Angeles Lakers. Mike is a good man. Very hard working, maybe one of the hardest-working coaches that I've ever been around," general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "The bottom line is that the team is not winning at the pace that we expected this team to win and we didn't see improvement. We wish Mike well and we're sorry it ended this way. So, we've decided to move in another direction and make a change."

A source with knowledge of the Lakers' thinking said the firing was done "more to stop what was happening than to pursue anybody else." 

Phil Jackson and Mike D'Antoni are the leading candidates to replace Brown, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

"It's neck and neck," the source said.

A meeting with Jackson could happen by the end of the weekend.

Jackson retired as coach of the Lakers after the 2010-11 season. In his final news conference, he noted that he didn't have much of a relationship with Lakers vice president Jim Buss.

"People took that the wrong way," the source said. "There's no ill will between Jim and Phil."

The Lakers are expected to reach out to both men as early as Saturday morning, as well as several other candidates, which could include former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, former Blazers coach Nate McMillan and ex-Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy.

The Lakers are expected to move quickly through this process as Bickerstaff only has committed to working a few games.

"I have no control over anything," Bickerstaff said. "Whatever Mitch asks me to do, that's what I'll do."

He did say he was "shocked" by Brown's firing.

"You know the history with Mike Brown and myself, in terms of the genesis of history there as an intern, as an assistant with me in Washington. So, I'm very fond of him and it's a tough situation," he said.

Despite not having a timetable, Kupchak wants a new coach "the sooner, the better."

"Clearly, great coaches or good coaches in this league that have jobs would not be let out of their contracts with their team," Kupchak said. "So that's not really a realistic possibility. I think there is a remote possibility that you look at assistants in the league and of course teams at that point would not stand in the way of a coach advancing his career. I think it's more likely that we would look to coaches that aren't presently employed."

Brown was among three finalists to interview for the job when Jackson, who has won 11 titles, retired. Rick Adelman and former assistant coach Brian Shaw were the others. Adelman is in Minnesota, while Shaw is an assistant in Indiana. The Lakers would need to request permission from Indiana to speak with Shaw, who would be a popular choice with their players. According to sources, they have not done so.

While a local television station reported that Jackson was spotted at the Lakers practice facility on Thursday, one source called that "coincidental" and noted that Jackson is the longtime boyfriend of Lakers vice president Jeanie Buss.

Earlier Friday, sources had told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the team was using its upcoming six-game homestand to evaluate Brown, but after numerous discussions over the past 48 hours, Lakers management came to a unanimous decision that the team clearly wasn't heading in the right direction and it was best to fire him now.

The decision is in keeping with the Lakers "win now" mentality after acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in blockbuster trades this summer. Relieving Brown of his duties now also comes at a substantial cost, as he was in just the second year of a four-year, $18 million deal. The final year of that contract was only partially guaranteed.

"We're not looking five or 10 years down the road. This team was built to contend this year," Kupchak said. "There's no guarantee that this team can win a championship, but we feel they can be deeply in the hunt. We also are aware that players are under contract for another year or two, players are getting older, so our feeling is we could contend at this level for a couple years. So that's our focus right now."

The Lakers have had a healthy Nash in the lineup for only 1½ of their five games so far thanks to a leg injury, while Howard has acknowledged that he's still recovering from the back surgery that brought a premature end to his 2011-12 campaign and knocked him out of the London Olympics. Kobe Bryant also has been playing through a foot ailment.

Bryant called Friday a "tough day."

"I've seen coaches as well as friends come and go. No matter how many years I've been playing, it's still hard to deal with," he wrote on his Facebook page. "I had a good relationship with Mike and I will continue to have one. I wish him and his family nothing but the best. I spoke with him today and thanked him for all of his hard work and sacrifice.

"As a team, we must focus our energy on tonight's game. We must block out the weight of today's news and simply do our jobs to the best of our ability. I'm not sure what direction we are heading in next. All I can do is focus on the here and now. Mamba out."

The Lakers are off to the worst start in the Western Conference despite carrying the league's largest payroll at just more than $100 million, which would trigger an estimated luxury-tax bill at season's end of nearly $30 million.

The team also has been trying to institute a form of the Princeton offense, a system that relies on reads and ball sharing in order to take some of the offensive load off Bryant. But the talented Lakers went 0-8 during the preseason for the first time in franchise history before stumbling into the regular season with an 0-3 start. After finally winning last Sunday, the Lakers looked listless again in a loss at Utah on Wednesday.

Not only did the new offense not appear to suit his players' talents, the Lakers also played spotty defense, Brown's specialty.

Lakers forward Pau Gasol said the team was still behind Brown.

"I don't think we lost faith at any moment," he said. "I think we believed in what we were trying to do. We also understood it was going to take a little bit of time to do things the way they should have been done as far as our game. It wasn't happening as fast as we all wanted it to and there were different things that didn't play in our favour."

"It's a pretty direct message to all of us," Gasol said. "There's no messing around. It's time for us to step it up."

Lakers legend Magic Johnson reacted to Brown's firing on Twitter.

"Feel bad for Coach Mike Brown, who's a great guy, but don't think he was the right guy for the job in the first place," he tweeted.

As for possible replacements, Johnson tweeted: "I'd love to see Phil Jackson or Brian Shaw. Wish Pat Riley was available."

Source: ESPN

Related articles

• NBA: Mike Brown is out as Los Angeles Lakers coach; could Phil Jackson be coming back?
• Los Angeles Lakers fire coach Mike Brown after 1-4 start | NBA
• Reactions To Mike Brown's Firing
• Los Angeles Lakers Name Bernie Bickerstaff Interim Head Coach
• Phil, D'Antoni floated to replace Brown
• Mike Brown Fired: Phil Jackson Will Listen If Lakers Want Him Back

Lakers Lose Second Opener

Getty Images

The talent-laden Lakers have dropped two straight to open the season -- their opener at home against the Dallas Mavericks followed by a 116-106 thumping by the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

To make matters worse, two-time MVP Steve Nash, brought in by the Lakers in the offseason along with six-time All-Star Dwight Howard, was injured late in the first half against Portland.

"We've got to learn how to play together," said Howard, who had 33 points and 14 rebounds in the loss to Portland. "You've got to be good before you can be great."

The Lakers' stockpile of stars lacked a sense of urgency against the Blazers, who led by as many as 19 points. Nicolas Batum had 26 points and Damian Lillard, the sixth overall pick in the June draft, had 22 points and 11 assists in his NBA debut.

Kobe Bryant had 30 points and Howard's output Wednesday night was a vast improvement over his debut the night before against the Mavs, when he had 19 points and 10 rebounds but made just three of 14 free throws before fouling out. The Lakers lost that one 99-91.

But it was apparent for the second night in a row that the Lakers were still getting used to each other. The starters rarely played together during an 0-8 preseason.

"We didn't expect to just come together and be awesome," Howard said. "It's always a process. We've got to stick with it so that at the end of the year we can have a trophy."

Nash collided with Lillard and limped to the locker room. Although the team initially reported he was fine, Nash struggled when he returned for the second half and left the game for good a short time later.

The team said he had a bruised left leg. He said after the game he hopes to play Friday when the Lakers host the Clippers.

"We're not sharp," Nash said. "I think the guys are trying, we just didn't live up to what we're trying to do."

The Blazers, who finished 28-38 last season and out of the playoffs, opened their season with eight newcomers on the roster after an offseason rebuilding effort around All-StarLaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Batum.

"People probably didn't expect us to come out and beat that type of team, but we've been competing very hard in practice, and we did that same thing tonight," Lillard said. "We were flying around, lots of energy. I think our activity kind of wore on them."

Portland pulled out to a 30-26 lead late in the first quarter after Matthews' 3-pointer. Lillard extended the lead to 35-26 with a running bank shot in traffic.

J.J. Hickson's jumper made it 41-34 for Portland, but Bryant answered for the Lakers with a 3-pointer. Batum's fast-break jam gave the Blazers a 46-40 lead and Portland went into halftime with a 62-57 lead.

Portland took its momentum into the second half, going up 72-64 on another dunk by Batum. Sasha Pavlovic's 3-pointer gave the Blazers an 88-76 lead just before Howard was called for his fourth foul.

Matthews' jumper made it 102-83 in the fourth quarter. Batum had a 3-pointer to make it 108-94 as the game slipped out of reach for the Lakers.

Batum's opener comes after an uncertain offseason as a restricted free agent. The Blazers got into a poker match with the Timberwolves over the 23-year-old Frenchman, eventually matching Minnesota's four-year offer sheet worth more than $45 million.

Batum, like the rest of the Blazers, was trying to keep the victory low-key.

"This was just one game, just one game," he said. "It was a really good win, but we've got to focus on the next game on the road."

Portland visits Oklahoma City on Friday night.

The Blazers wore new red uniforms for the opener and encouraged fans to wear red, but the crowd was nonetheless sprinkled with plenty of Lakers gold. Among them was a fan that lifted a sign reading, "I love Steve Nash."

"The morale is fine, but nobody wants to lose," Lakers coach Mike Brown said. "We've just got to focus on what it will take for us to get a win. That's defense, first, and then, obviously, we've got to take care of the basketball."

Related articles

• Steve Nash Injury: Updates on Lakers Star's Shin
• Lakers Fall To Trail Blazers 116-106: Steve Nash Leaves Game With Knee Injury (VIDEO)
• Steve Nash injury: Lakers point guard out for game with shin injury
• Steve Nash Injury: Lakers PG Hurts Left Knee Against Blazers
• Steve Nash injury: Lakers guard leaves game
• Blazers take down Lakers; Nash leaves with injury

Rodman Sentenced for Contempt

OSM subscribers only

LA Lakers Hit Thunder Road

Russell Westbrook scored 28 points, Kevin Durant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder surged ahead in the second half to beat Los Angeles 106-90 in Game 5 on Monday night and eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs.

The two All-Stars both bypassed their breaks in the second half and used the time they'd normally be resting to fuel the big run that put away the game and end the Lakers' season.

Westbrook had a pair of three-point plays during a 14-3 burst that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay late in the third quarter, and Durant hit two 3-pointers as the Thunder scored the first 10 points of the fourth to push their lead to 93-77.

Kobe Bryant scored 42 points for the Lakers.

The Thunder open the Western Conference finals on Sunday at top-seeded San Antonio.

After getting eliminated by Los Angeles in 2010 and Dallas in 2011 before both of those teams went on to win it all, the Thunder knocked both out on their way to the West finals for the second straight year.

The only other time the franchise made consecutive conference finals was from 1978-80, including Seattle's only NBA title in 1979.

Once there, they'll face the top-seeded Spurs, the only team other than the Lakers or Mavs to win the West in the past 13 years and currently riding an 18-game winning streak.

Westbrook went running to the scorer's table and pumped his fist in the air after his first energising three-point play, when he was able to flip the ball in after Ramon Sessions fouled him on the fast break.

He converted another after banking in a jumper from the left side despite Sessions slapping him on the arm to make it 82-76 with 1:29 left in the third quarter.

Durant extended the lead with a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth and then hit another 32 seconds later -- just after Bryant had stepped to the scorer's table to check in after a brief rest.

There was little Bryant could do after he got back in, despite the 13th 40-point game of his playoff career.

After blowing a fourth-quarter lead in Game 4, Bryant had called out forward Pau Gasol to be more aggressive -- much as he had with Gasol and Andrew Bynum before the Lakers faced elimination in Game 7 of the first round against Denver.

Gasol came through with a monster game -- 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists -- and Steve Blake scored a playoff career-best 19 points to save the Lakers that time. Bryant didn't get nearly as much help against the Thunder.

Gasol took 14 shots, his most of the series, but made only five to finish with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Metta World Peace scored 11 and Bynum 10.

The Thunder got five of their first eight baskets on dunks and controlled the boards early on, grabbing 16 of the game's first 22 rebounds while keeping Los Angeles off the offensive glass for the first 11 minutes.

Bryant had to create all of the offense, scoring 15 of the Lakers' first 19 points and getting all six of his baskets without the benefit of an assist. When others started chipping in, the Lakers went on a 16-7 run to go up 35-32 following Bynum's three-point play.

Oklahoma City scored the next eight points, including James Harden's fast-break dunk, before Bryant got past him for a pair of dunks of his own -- the first a driving, two-handed reverse jam and the second a two-handed alley-oop slam over Harden.

But Bryant and World Peace both drew technical fouls as the Lakers lost their cool with 31.9 seconds left before halftime when World Peace was called for a flagrant foul against Thabo Sefolosha on a fast break. World Peace used his right hand to strip the ball from Sefolosha as he went up to the basket but then shoved him out of bounds with his left hand.

Sefolosha hit both free throws and Durant capitalised on both shots from the technicals World Peace and Bryant got for arguing the flagrant call to put the Thunder 54-51 ahead at halftime despite shooting less than 40 percent.