Anthony, Adams Lead Thunder Past Lakers, 114-90
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-90 on Wednesday night.
Steven Adams had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Russell Westbrook added 19 points and seven assists for the Thunder, who won their third straight. The Thunder shot 48 percent overall and outrebounded the Lakers 54-30.
Julius Randle scored all 16 of his points in the first half for the Lakers. Rookie point guard Lonzo Ball sat out his second straight game with a sore left knee, and the injury news got worse for the Lakers. Rookie forward Kyle Kuzma left with a finger joint sprain and did not return and forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left with a right Achilles tendon strain and did not return.
The Thunder led 60-54 at halftime behind 16 points from Anthony and 14 from Adams. Westbrook had just two points until scoring eight in the final three minutes of the second quarter.
Oklahoma City started strong in the second half. A 3-pointer by Paul George bumped the lead to 11, and a 3-point play by Westbrook midway through the quarter pushed the margin to 14.
Westbrook got Corey Brewer off balance with multiple crossover dribbles before blowing by him for a layup that gave the Thunder an 86-70 lead. A 3-pointer by Anthony made it 91-70 and forced the Lakers to call timeout late in the third quarter. The Thunder controlled the game the rest of the way.
TIP-INS
Lakers: F Brandon Ingram returned after missing a game with a mild left ankle sprain. He had eight points in 26 minutes. ... Shot 55 percent from the field in the first half, but just 47 percent in the game. ... Pope scored 10 points in 15 minutes. He was one of two Lakers to score in double figures.
Thunder: Boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather attended the game. ... G Andre Roberson returned after missing eight games with left patellar tendinitis. He finished with four points and three steals in 17 minutes.
UP NEXT
The Lakers host the Pacers on Friday.
The Thunder play at Cleveland on Saturday.
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