Oklahoma City Thunder

Thunder 122 - Lakers 105 (final) The Lakers fought their way back from 18 down in the third quarter to within five with a little over six minutes left in the game. The Oklahoma City Thunder responded with a knockout blow, scoring the game's final 12 points to defeat the Lakers 122-105. Russell Westbrook scored 37 points with 10 rebounds and five assists.  Kevin Durant had 26 points with nine and five as the Thunder shot 47.9% from the field. Oklahoma City turned the ball over just twice in the game (tying an all-time NBA low)

Lately, the Clippers have been unable to deliver any victories against the NBA's top three teams, leaving some fans to ponder whether L.A. is ready to play at the same level as the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs (47-14), Heat (44-14) and Thunder (43-16) have the top three records in the NBA and are playing some of their best basketball of the season. "You better play high-level basketball," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Those teams are not going to beat themselves.

The Lakers (30-30) visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-16) on Tuesday night. The league will likely announce Tuesday whether Thunder forward Serge Ibaka will be penalized for Sunday's low blow to Clippers forward Blake Griffin. Though a suspension is far from a lock, Detroit Pistons guard Will Bynum was recently given one game off for a similar misstep. Oklahoma City is one of the top three teams in the league. The Lakers beat the Thunder in January at Staples Center but, Ibaka or not, taking them down in their building is a very difficult task.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Had the Lakers somehow beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder, you could easily imagine Kobe Bryant's postgame tweet. Ulnar-nerve contusion THAT. Something fairly important intervened to prevent it. Reality. Bryant had 30 points but the Lakers lost to the Thunder, 122-105, Tuesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena, falling to 2-13 against the top five teams in the Western Conference. It wasn't the best of games, and it wasn't the worst, but it accurately described a team that slipped a notch below .500 after fighting hard just to get there.

Blake Griffin expected Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka to be suspended and fined for striking him below the belt in Sunday's game at Staples Center. Ibaka was called for a flagrant 1 foul on the play late in the fourth quarter of the Thunder's 108-104 victory. The NBA announced Tuesday that Ibaka's foul was upgraded to a flagrant 2 and he was fined $25,000 for striking Griffin in the groin area, but Ibaka was not suspended. Before the ruling was handed down, Griffin said he didn't "see how it could be let go" by the league with only a fine.

Former Lakers guard Derek Fisher signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder last week, joining the team for another playoff run. Earlier in the season, Fisher had signed with the Dallas Mavericks but asked out of his contract to spend more time with his family. On hearing Fisher was re-signing with the Thunder, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gave a snide remark to the Dallas Morning News . "Look, I understand completely," Cuban said sarcastically. "From the time Derek was here to his signing with OKC, his kids are older, they can deal with things better.  So I understand him having more comfort in being away from them.

Serge Ibaka's vicious right hand to the groin of Blake Griffin late in the fourth quarter Sunday served as only a prelude to the real smackdown administered by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boom! Russell Westbrook accelerated past a bevy of defenders for a layup, the Thunder point guard wiping out a Clippers lead that lasted all of five seconds. Whack! Ibaka took a pass from Westbrook and made a layup while drawing Griffin's sixth foul, the final indignity of a maddening afternoon for the Clippers power forward.

They are two of the best teams in the NBA, two teams shadowing each other in the Western Conference. So when the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder meet Sunday at Staples Center in a nationally televised game, it will be a game that has significance for both teams. The Clippers have the third-best record in the West at 43-18 and trail the 42-16 Thunder by just half a game for the second best in the conference. "It's a big game," Chris Paul said. "We're trying to catch those guys and the only way you can catch them is to hand them a loss.

They make the incredible look so routine, Kevin Durant flipping up crazy shots that somehow go in and Russell Westbrook wildly contorting his body on blow-by-everyone drives to the basket. The show goes on for the circus that is the Oklahoma City Thunder, even without its third ring. James Harden has taken his supernatural talents to Houston, leaving behind a juggling act for his former teammates. The numbers are still crowd pleasers. Oklahoma City leads the NBA in scoring at 106.7 points per game going into Sunday's game against the Clippers at Staples Center and has the same 42-16 record it had at this point last season on the way to the Finals.

Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, has led the NBA in scoring three times in his five-year career because of his silky smooth jumper and all-around offensive game. Now the 6-foot-9 forward can add a highlight-reel play that is reminiscent of 76ers great Julius Erving. Durant, a four-time All-Star who many think resembles legendary forward George "Iceman" Gervin with a better long-range jumper and a few more inches of length, beat two Denver Nuggets defenders along the baseline Friday night before flipping a reverse layup off the glass for a basket.