Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder 105-96.
"We're doing a good job right now of just being real with each other and holding each other accountable," the Associated Press quoted Bryant as saying. "That makes a huge difference. I'm trying to evolve and find out what we need as a ballclub."
Steve Nash, who added 17 points and five assists against the Thunder, scored seven points in the final 5-1/2 minutes as the Lakers won their second straight game.
Paul Gasol scored 16 points off the bench and Metta World Peace had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Antawn Jamison finished with 12 points for the Lakers.
The Lakers had lost nine of their last 11 game against the Thunder, but Sunday they played like a well prepared team and every player contributed to the team's success.
"We've found something that works, that's for sure, and something we can feel good about," said Gasol, who played 36 minutes. "I think the way we are playing, we can be very successful."
For the Thunder, Kevin Durant was the top scorer with 35 points, while Russell Westbrook finished with 17.
"They needed a win. It was a must-win for them, and they came out and performed well," Durant said. "They were hitting shots, and they were doing a good job of protecting the paint.
"We missed some good shots as well. As a group, we all have to do our roles better. Every individual has to play their role to a T for us to win games, but we'll be fine."
Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka added 10 points apiece for the Thunder.
Westbrook, who also had 13 assists and nine rebounds against the Lakers, missed 12 of his first 13 shots before finally finding some kind of rhythm. He made six out of 22 attempts in all from the field and shot one 3-pointer.
"The thought the execution at the end of the game by our team definitely could have been better," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. "It's something that we're pretty good at, but a lot of that had to do with their team.
"They're a physical team, and they were moving us around a little bit towards the end."
Los Angeles outscored the Thunder 27-23 in the first quarter to take a four-point lead in the game. The Oklahoma City offense played better in the second quarter and scored 30 points while the defense contained the Lakers to 25 to enter the second half with a 53-52 lead.
The third quarter was very close and the Lakers outscored the Thunder 23-22 to tie the scores at 75 going into the final quarter.
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