2010 NBA Playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, First Round, Game 1
Information about game 1 of the L.A. Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder series in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, with score, recap, pictures, stats, highlights, quotes and Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol performance.
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April 18 - Staples Center, Los Angeles. The Lakers want to win back-to-back titles and they got their first playoff victory, 87-79 over the young Thunder playing great defense. It wasn't the perfect game for the defending champions but they got something they couldn't get lately, which is a consistent effort and intensity for 48 minutes, especially on the defensive end. When all eyes were on Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, two of the game's best scorers, the keys of the game were on the inside, where Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum dominated, and on the asphyxiating defense of Ron Artest. Gasol had 19 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum in his return after missing the season's final 13 games, played 30 minutes, looked healthy and got 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Kobe Bryant also was back, added 21 points and although he wasn't good from the field missing 13 of 19 shots, he is the leader and the soul of this team. The Lakers got control of the game early pounding the ball inside to their bigs and shooting 54 percent in the first quarter to outscore the Thunder 27-13. It was the lowest point total of the season for Oklahoma. L.A. never trailed and led by as many as 17 in the second before the Thunder guided by Russell Westbrook cut the deficit to 47-39 by halftime. They stayed on the game the rest of the way but never got closer than 6 points. Westbrook' speed was a problem for Derek Fisher and for anybody who tried to stop him. He ended with 23 points and 8 assists. Fisher had 11, including 3 three-pointers, one of them with 1:30 left in the fourth to give the Lakers a 84-74 margin. Ron Artest dissipated a lot of doubts about how he could handle a player who is lighter and faster than him and that can score from anywhere. In fact he made Durant's playoff debut a nightmare. The Thunder forward not only is at 21 the youngest NBA scoring champion, he is their star and their most dangerous weapon, and although he got 24 points he missed 17 of 24 shots for a .291 percentage, something the Lakers can live with. It's just the first chapter of this confrontation but Ron-Ron, who was chosen over Trevor Ariza for his defensive skill has already got into Durant's head. |
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The QuotesPhil Jackson (LAL Coach): "I'm sure Kobe's not happy with his game... I think it's a rhythm thing more than anything else, after not playing much for a month." Kobe Bryant (Lakers): "We could've definitely played a lot better, but at this stage you just got to win games. It doesn't really matter how" Russell Westbrook (Thunder): "When you have Bynum, Gasol and Lamar Odom all in at the same time, I mean it's a lot of reaching, a lot of hands and that's a lot of length." Scott Brooks (Thunder Coach): "Somebody has to play them, I'd rather be the eighth seed than the ninth... There's 8 teams that have a chance to get to the Finals and we're one of them." |
Highlights
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Complete Boxscore
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