LOS ANGELES _ Nick Young spent much of Tuesday evening chasing Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook around the Staples Center court, a chore that would drain even the most well-conditioned of NBA players.
It's a wonder the Los Angeles Lakers guard still had enough energy left to rise up from behind the three-point line and drill the game-winning jump shot with five seconds remaining to lift the Lakers to a pulsating 111-109 victory over the Thunder.
Oklahoma City staged a furious fourth-quarter rally, erasing all of a 14-point deficit in the final 6 { minutes behind Westbrook, who scored 17 of his 34 points, including four three-point shots, in the final 6:44.
Westbrook's drive and bounce pass to Steven Adams for a dunk pulled the Thunder to within 108-107 with 48.7 seconds left.
Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. missed a jump hook from the right baseline with 24 seconds left, and Oklahoma City took a 109-108 lead when Adams muscled his way past Jordan Clarkson and Young underneath to put back a rebound of a Westbrook miss with 13.9 seconds left.
The Lakers, after inbounding the ball near midcourt, went into a weave, with Brandon Ingram cutting in from the left side and flipping a pass that was intended for Lou Williams at the top of the key.
But Young, streaking from right to left, snagged the pass and elevated high into the air while making a 27-foot jumper to put the Lakers ahead. It was his best _ and only _ steal of the game.
"I think it's absolute BS that he doesn't get a steal on the stat sheet for that because he stole that pass," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "I told him if you steal the pass you better make the shot, and it was a pretty incredible shot. Obviously that's one of the reasons we like Nick on the court at the end of games. He's not afraid of the moment. He loves the moment. He made a big shot for us."
Clarkson scored a team-high 18 points for the Lakers, who snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 8-7, and five other players scored in double figures _ Young (17), Timofey Mozgov (16), Williams (13), Jose Calderon (12) and Nance Jr. (11).
Calderon, filling in for injured point guard D'Angelo Russell, made four of five three-point shots, dished out four assists and had two steals.
"The focus we had, especially for a young team, was good," Walton said. "It's easy to quit when they're coming downhill and everything they shoot is going in.
"Brandon hit some big threes in the fourth, and guys kept trusting each other, making plays. I definitely think it's another step in gaining confidence and learning how to hold off that runaway train that's coming."
Young played Westbrook straight up for most of the first half and held him to 11 points on five-for-12 shooting.
Westbrook was so frustrated after his fastbreak attempt was blocked by Young with 2:48 left in the second quarter that he nearly tackled Luol Deng after the Lakers forward grabbed the deflection on the play. Westbrook was assessed with a flagrant one foul.
But Westbrook was still a factor, passing out six assists during a second quarter in which Oklahoma City trimmed a 29-16 first-period deficit to 49-48 by halftime.
The Lakers built their first-quarter lead with a 10-0 run that featured three-pointers by Ingram and Young and Clarkson's steal and fastbreak basket.
Williams capped the quarter with a four-point play, getting fouled by Semaj Christon as he elevated from three-point range, and following through with his shot, which swished through the net with 33 seconds left. His free throw made it 29-16.
Westbrook went to work as a facilitator in the second quarter, handing out assists on four straight Thunder baskets midway through the period. He assisted on Domantas Sabonis' three-pointer with 55 seconds left in the half to trim the deficit to 46-45.
Westbrook's driving basket and free throw put Oklahoma ahead, 48-46, with 6.3 seconds left, but Young beat the buzzer with a three-pointer to give the Lakers a 49-48 halftime lead.
