period, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-3 exhibition victory over th

LOS ANGELES -- For three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers tempted the sellout crowd at Staples Center into believing they would pull off one of the most improbable upsets of the NBA season. Then Kevin Durant took over and the Lakers got sloppy with the ball, turning it into just another loss in a season full of them for coach Mike DAntonis undermanned squad. Durant scored 19 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter and the Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Lakers to a record-setting seventh straight home loss with a 107-103 victory on Thursday night. "The easy thing to do is look at it like we didnt have the proper focus. But Im not going to go there -- because when you play against an NBA team thats prideful like the Lakers, theyre going to have a good game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. The Thunder have a 1 1/2-game lead on Indiana for the NBAs best record. Their 43-12 mark equals the best start in the franchises 47-year history, set by the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics. Oklahoma City is 20-7 without second-leading scorer Russell Westbrook, who hasnt played since getting a triple-double on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. Westbrook is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. "This whole group, they are resilient," Durant said. "We persevered through everything and just stayed together. We had faith no matter what. We are looking forward to having Russell back and make it seem less of a transition for him." Chris Kaman and Wesley Johnson scored 19 points apiece for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall added 14 points and 17 assists. The Lakers have lost 22 of their last 27 games and are tied with Sacramento for last place in the Western Conference. The Thunder, coming off a 98-95 win against Portland in which they held All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard to a combined 1-for-17 from the field in the second half, trailed by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter while Durant missed his first eight attempts from 3-point range. But Durants first 3-pointer of the game cut the Lakers lead to 85-77 in the opening minute of the fourth, triggering a 15-2 run that enabled Oklahoma City to pull ahead 92-87 with 5:46 to play. "He just continued to play the game and do what he has done all season," teammate and former Laker Derek Fisher said. "He is one of the best I have seen in terms if really just playing through anything and everything." Los Angeles committed seven of its 23 turnovers during the first 4:03 of the final period, and Fisher tied it at 87-all on a 3-pointer. Durant then stole the ball from Johnson and hit a driving layup that gave the Thunder their first lead, 89-87. The five-time All-Star capped the rally with a 3-pointer 32 seconds later. The Lakers came out of the gate like a team that desperately wanted to avoid surpassing the franchise record for consecutive home losses they shared with the 1992-93 squad. They led 54-45 at halftime. "I thought the effort was terrific," DAntoni said. "They battled the whole game. We ran into a little rough spot there in the start of the fourth. They got into us and we turned it over way too many times." Steve Blake made a three-point play after getting fouled by Jeremy Lamb on an off-balance 20-footer from the left elbow. That put the Lakers back in front 95-94 with 3:34 left, but Serge Ibakas two free throws put the Thunder ahead to stay with 2:38 remaining and they closed with an 11-7 run as Fisher and Durant each made two free throws in the final 17 seconds. Oklahoma City has won eight of its last 12 meetings with the Lakers. DAntoni was down to eight healthy players, with point guard Steve Nash sitting out because of a recurrence of root irritation in his back and hamstring. Los Angeles is still missing five of its top six scorers -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry. "Its been a crazy year, and there will still be some turbulence ahead," DAntoni said. "But I think during these next 29 games we will get honed in and try to get better. The thing I hope is that with all the effort, they get rewarded for it." NOTES: The Thunder havent allowed 20 or more points to an opposing player since eight games ago at Miami on Jan. 29, when they overcame 34 points by LeBron James in a 112-95 win. ... Oklahoma City will come out of the All-Star break with a six-game homestand beginning next Thursday against the defending NBA champion Heat. Brooks and his staff will be calling the shots for the Western Conference All-Stars on Sunday at New Orleans. Mike Vernon Jersey . Make that, almost always subjective. Saturday at Carrow Road, the spirit of fair play trumped the rulebook, costing Norwich City three points. Craig Conroy Jersey . "I had a pretty good year," the soft-spoken Granberg told TSN.ca with a grin from the teams annual rookie tournament in London. A fourth-round selection in 2010, Granberg is worth keeping an eye on with NHL training camps rolling around in less than a week. The six-foot-two, 200-pound defender may not possess the wow-inspiring theatrics of fellow prospect Morgan Rielly, but nonetheless has a chance to contribute with the Leafs when all is said and done this season. http://www.flamessale.com/ . It will mark the 22nd time the tournament has been held in this country and fourth in Atlanta Canada but will make its first appearance ever in played Nova Scotia. Miikka Kiprusoff Jersey . -- The Toronto Maple Leafs are tightening the race for second place in the Atlantic Division. Jarome Iginla Jersey . After a 10-game skid, winning sure feels good. Atlantas third error in the last two innings allowed Jackie Bradley Jr.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Dwight King scored the deciding goal in the shootout and also scored in the second period, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-3 exhibition victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.Jordan Nolan and Tyler Toffoli also had goals for the defending Stanley Cup champions and Martin Jones made 25 saves.Emerson Etem, Dany Heatley and Ryan Kesler scored for the Ducks and John Gibson stopped 31 shots.Kesler, acquired from Vancouver in a draft-day trade after spending his first 10 NHL seasons with the Canucks, played his first game with the Ducks and skated on a line between Jakob Silfverberg and left wing Patrick Maroon.ddddddddddddKesler played almost 17 minutes before getting his first shot on goal, converting Maroons pass from behind the net with 8:10 left in the third period to tie it at 3 a€” just 37 seconds after Toffoli scored on a breakaway to put the Kings ahead.Last season, the Southern California rivals faced each other in a playoff series for the first time. The Kings beat the Pacific Division champs in a seven-game Western Conference semifinal and went on to win their second NHL title in three years. ' ' '