Young, Lakers sink Thunder in final seconds

[November 23, 2016]  LOS ANGELES -- The pass was intended for Lou Williams. However, teammate Nick Young intercepted it and buried a game-winning shot.

"The play was designed for somebody else. I think they should give me a steal for that," Young joked.

Young's 3-point bucket with five seconds left was the difference, boosting the Los Angeles Lakers to a 111-109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night at Staples Center.

"You know, we worked hard tonight and it came down to the big shot," said Young, who connected on 6 of 12 attempts, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. "I was in the way, stole the ball from Lou. He let me know afterwards, but I was lucky I made it."

Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram tried to pass the ball to Williams near the top of the key on the final possession. However, Young stepped into the passing lane and delivered in the clutch, allowing the Lakers (8-7) to snap a nine-game losing streak to the Thunder.

"It was a little confusing," said Thunder guard Victor Oladipo, who finished with 14 points. "Seems like I was guarding three people at one time, but it is what it is, you know what I mean? Nick kind of came out of nowhere. Looked like it was going to Lou."

Russell Westbrook missed a contested 3-point attempt just before the horn as the Thunder (8-7) dropped their sixth contest in the last eight games.

"We fought back, but it just wasn't good enough," said Westbrook, who led the Thunder with 34 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.

Steven Adams finished with 20 points, while Joffrey Lauvergne had 12 for Oklahoma City.

Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points to lead six Lakers in double figures. Young contributed 17 points, Timofey Mozgov had 16 points, and Williams added 13.

The Lakers grabbed their biggest lead, 97-83, after a dunk by Larry Nance Jr. with 6:44 left, but the Thunder rallied behind the shooting of Westbrook, who scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, including four 3-pointers. Westbrook's trey cut the Lakers' lead to 108-105 with 1:38 left.

A dunk by Adams followed with 43.2 seconds remaining, pulling Oklahoma City within one.

After Nance missed a jump hook, Adams scored again on the other end with a putback to lift the Thunder to a 109-108 lead with 13.9 seconds left, setting up Young's heroics.

"Listen, Young made a tough shot. It wasn't like he took a layup," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "He made a very deep, fall-away three, so give him credit for putting the ball in the basket."

Said Lakers coach Luke Walton, "It was a pretty incredible shot by him. Obviously, one of the reasons we like Nick on the court at the end of the game is because he is not afraid of the moment. He loves the moment. He made a big shot for us."

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young (0) during the second quarter at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers dictated for much of the second half until late in the game. They took a 78-69 lead after a pull-up jumper by Clarkson with 1:09 left in the third before a three-point play by Adams allowed the Thunder to close the gap to 80-74 heading into the final quarter.

The Lakers held a 29-16 edge after one quarter, but the Thunder outscored them 32-20 in the second to cut the deficit to 49-48 at the break. After a three-point play by Westbrook gave the Thunder a brief lead, Young's 3-pointer ended the half and put the Lakers back up.

Los Angeles played without point guard D'Angelo Russell, who was sidelined with a sore left knee. Russell also isn't expected to play Wednesday when the Lakers visit the Golden State Warriors.

Jose Calderon started in Russell's place, and he compiled 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes.

Lakers forward Julius Randle started despite being slowed by a hip pointer. Randle, though, was largely ineffective, finishing with three points, five rebounds and four assists in 21 minutes.

NOTES: Lakers coach Luke Walton said he doesn't know the extent of the left knee injury that forced PG D'Angelo Russell to miss his second game in the last three. Russell is experiencing pain when he makes cutting moves. "Obviously, the more time he misses the more serious it seems to be, but I'm not going to try to guess or make a judgment on that," Walton said. "When the training staff and doctors let us know he's good to go he'll be back in there." ... Thunder reserve G Semaj Christon (concussion) was activated after missing Sunday's loss to Indiana. ... The Thunder visit the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

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