(Adds quotes)
* Kobe scores 36, perfect 18 for 18 from foul line
* Lakers make 41 of 42 free throws to seal crunch win
* 76ers tie series with Boston at 2-2
By Jahmal Corner
May 18 (Reuters) – Kobe Bryant refused to let a second
successive game slip through his fingers as the Los Angeles
Lakers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-96 in a cliffhanger on
Friday to avoid going down 3-0 in their NBA playoff series.
Bryant endured a 9-for-25 shooting night to score 36 points,
including eight of his team’s final 10 points, helping the
Lakers get the home win needed in the second-round West matchup.
Kevin Durant tallied 31 points, but missed a long, potential
game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds, while Russell
Westbrook and James Harden each had 21 in the loss.
The Lakers have less than 24 hours before they will be
tested in Game Four back in Los Angeles Saturday. Bryant was
asked how much energy he and the Lakers have left for Game Four.
â??”Plenty,” he said with a grin.
While neither team shot well from the field, the Lakers
converted a remarkable 41 of 42 free throws, the second highest
percentage in playoff history (minimum of 30 attempts) to pull
through.
Bryant led the way with a perfect 18-for-18 from the stripe
in a clutch victory.
â??”For us to step up to the free throw line and have the
concentration and focus we had there to knock them down is
huge,” said Lakers coach Mike Brown.
LA squandered a seven-point lead in the final two minutes to
lose a heart-breaker in Game Two, but this time they clawed back
from a five-point deficit in the final three minutes.
A quick 6-0 run gave Los Angeles a 93-92 lead with about a
minute to go and they held off Oklahoma City at the free throw
line.
Six Lakers players scored in double-figures, including
reserve Steve Blake who had 12 and eight rebounds, while big men
Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol each recorded double-doubles.
â??”We knew they were going to approach this game with a lot
of intensity being down 0-2,” Durant said. â??”We put ourselves in
position to win, we’ll just keep fighting, man. That’s all we
can do.”
In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers roared
back from an early 14-point deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics
92-83 and tie their Eastern Conference semi-final series at 2-2.
Andre Iguodala scored five consecutive points to break a
83-83 tie and Jodie Meeks finished off the visiting Celtics with
four free throws in succession as Boston failed to score in the
final 98 seconds.
Iguodala and Evan Turner each had 16 points for
Philadelphia, who travel to Boston for Game Five on Monday.
Paul Pierce topped the Celtics with 24 points but Kevin
Garnett scored only nine.
(Editing by Alastair Himmer)
