LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t the big late-season game the Los Angeles Lakers would have expected once the schedule was announced last summer, but here it was anyways Friday night in Los Angeles.
The Lakers, desperately trying to get to .500 for the first time all season and pick up valuable ground in the Western Conference playoff race, had another chance to build real momentum.
The Oklahoma City Thunder stood in their way, one of the youngest teams in the NBA, playing with relentless effort and tons of confidence.