Thunder vs. Lakers: Game 3 Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

The Los Angeles Lakers have avoided falling behind 0-3 in the Western Conference semifinals to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a Game 3 victory, 99-96, and are now trailing 1-2 in the series.

In the first quarter, the Lakers came out looking like they were motivated to win. Los Angeles jumped out to an early double-digit lead, taking advantage of a sluggish Thunder team that didn't seem like they were going to show up in the first quarter.

James Harden helped wake his team up and scored seven quick points in the second quarter to help even the deficit. Eventually, Oklahoma City would take the lead in the quarter, but just when it looked like the tide was turning, the Lakers slowed their opponent's roll and kept the game even.

At the end of the half, Metta World Peace drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to give L.A. a three-point lead going into the half, 50-47.

The Thunder began to regain some momentum in the third quarter and jumped out to a seven-point lead, which was their largest of the night. It seemed OKC was scoring at will while making the Lakers struggle to get theirs.

However, the Lakers would recover from that deficit with a strong finish to the third quarter that put them within striking distance going into the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles would come out in the fourth down, but quickly took the lead in the first two minutes of the quarter. But the see-saw game continued, as the Thunder would recapture the lead shortly thereafter.

The game went back and forth, with the Thunder maintaining a small lead pretty much throughout the waning minutes of regulation.

But after a few huge buckets and even bigger free throws by Kobe Bryant, the Lakers were able to stave off certain elimination and will look to even this series in Game 4 in Los Angeles.

Tweets of the Night

J.A. Adande stressed that Lakers coach Mike Brown must be careful giving out minutes to his players, although he can't be too careful for obvious reasons:

"

Granted, Brown has to keep tomorrow's game in mind when doling out minutes. But if Lakers lose tonight tomorrow's irrelevant

— J.A. Adande (@jadande) May 19, 2012"

The NBA's Twitter page spelled out exactly how the Thunder got back into this game after falling behind in the first quarter:

"

The @OKCThunder's bench providing a spark outscoring @Lakers' 18-5. OKC takes a 33-32 lead midway thru the 2nd. Harden has 12. #NBAPlayoffs

— NBA (@NBA) May 19, 2012"

Singer Ashanti urged players on both teams to keep their cool after things got a little heated during the second quarter:

"

Uh ohhhh keep the peace guys!!!!

— ASHANTI (@ashanti) May 19, 2012

"

Basketball writer Michael Scotto broke the news on history being made by none other than Metta World Peace himself:

"

BREAKING NEWS: Twitter history is made as one person is trending under three names: MWP, Ron Artest, & Metta World Peace. #Lakers

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 19, 2012"

One Lakers fan was quite optimistic after Los Angeles finished the third quarter strong and primed to take this game in the fourth:

"

Folks lakers are gearing up for 4th quarter.. Trust me.. It's gonna be epic!

— Davey D (@mrdaveyd) May 19, 2012"

This Thunder fan doesn't want to waste any time in putting the Lakers away, and he isn't shy to admit it. However, it appears he spoke a little too soon:

"

Tomorrow the Lakers season will end!!!!! Thunder are about to sweep them I'm glad we play two days in a row!

— Charles Fields. (@EyeFlyLikeJeTs) May 19, 2012"

J.A. Adande spells out how the last play went for Durant, who came up short for the Thunder. Take us home, J.A.!

"

On that one Durant just looked like he HOPED it would go in. It didn't. Lakers win, 99-96.

— J.A. Adande (@jadande) May 19, 2012"

Must-See Highlight

Kevin Durant gets downright filthy on the Lakers and, more specifically, Jordan Hill with this dunk.

Warning: This video is not for the faint of heart, but is certainly for those who like to see NBA stars dunk on people.

Grades For Key Lakers Players

Kobe Bryant: A

Kobe didn't have his best game, but still managed to put up the numbers that he did.

Bryant didn't shoot well from the field in this one, but he did have 36 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a solid all-around game.

Down the stretch, Bryant tried to will his team to the win by making big shots and hitting clutch free throws. When it seemed impossible to score, Kobe put his team on his back and carried them to the Game 3 win.

I can always overlook a bad shooting performance when Kobe performs in the clutch.

Andrew Bynum: D

I'm sorry, but as a franchise center and a huge piece to this team, Bynum needed to come out playing better than he did against the Thunder in Game 3.

Bynum was abysmal from the field on the night, shooting 2-of-13 from the field while scoring 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

The Lakers were getting him the ball down low, but Bynum was met with immediate pressure and wasn't able to adjust to it, looking sloppy in the paint. Oklahoma City's defensive strategy of double-teaming and great defense by Kendrick Perkins made it impossible for Bynum to get anything going.

Although, I will say Bynum is much improved from the free-throw line in this series and finally missed his first free throws of the series tonight in the fourth quarter.

Grades For Key Thunder Players

Kevin Durant: A

Durant didn't have his best all-around game, but certainly put his team in a position to win this matchup.

The Thunder forward made some ridiculous shots throughout the night, including the monster dunk he abused Jordan Hill with.

Durant finished with 31 points on the night and shot 12-of-23 from the floor. He had some huge buckets down the stretch to help keep his team ahead but, in the end, it wasn't enough.

Durant attempted the game-winner, but to no avail. However, I can't say I blame him, as the Lakers defense was all over him.

James Harden: B+

Boy, how big has Harden been for the Thunder off the bench all year?

In this game, Harden was the single spark that woke the Thunder up in the second quarter and got them out of their stagnant ways offensively.

Although he got into foul trouble, Harden remained aggressive and had a ton of free-throw attempts in limited action during the game. In the fourth, Harden scored five unanswered points to give the Thunder a five-point lead that they couldn't keep.

He finished with 21 points, four rebounds and three steals, but he committed a costly foul on Bryant, and his five fouls in total were part of the problems for the Thunder in regards to giving the Lakers plenty of free points at the line.

What's Next

Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals will take place on Saturday, May 19th, at 10:30 p.m. ET with the Lakers looking to even the series up at two.