NICK Young hit a clutch triple as the Los Angeles Lakers survived a late-game explosion from Russell Westbrook for a thrilling 111-109 victory, ending a two-game skid at the Staples Center on Tuesday (Wednesday, Manila time).
The Thunder staged a comeback fueled by Westbrook’s four triples in the fourth quarter and were leading 109-108 after a putback from Steve Adams when the Lakers called a time out with 13 seconds remaining.
Young, who finished with 17 points, buried the triple to end a scoring drought for the Lakers who led by as much as 14 before Westbrook went on a scoring binge.
With five seconds left, Westbrook, who led OKC with 34 points and 13 assists, missed an attempt from beyond the arc as time expired.
Six Lakers scored in double figures. Jordan Clarkson had a solid outing with 18 points, four assists and four steals off the bench. Timofey Mozgov added 16 points, three rebounds and two blocks. Jose Calderon, starting in place for an injured D’Angelo Russell, finished with 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Brandon Ingram went 3-3 from the outside for 11 points.
The Lakers went 14-27 from beyond the arc. The team is 5-3 at home and improved to 8-7 overall.
Adam had 20 points and six rebounds for the Thunder who are 2-3 on the road. Victor Oladipo had 14 points and four assists while Joffrey Lauvergne added 12 points and grabbed seven boards.