Thunder strike down "crumbling" Lakers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With Kevin Durant in cruise control, the Oklahoma City Thunder overpowered the injury-hit Los Angeles Lakers in a 116-101 win on Friday, inflicting a rare sixth straight defeat on the home team.
Sharp-shooting forward Durant scored a season-high 42 points and guard Russell Westbrook weighed in with 27 and 10 assists as the Thunder drew level with the Los Angeles Clippers at the top of the Western Conference.
Bench player Kevin Martin added 15 points on six-of-12 shooting and Oklahoma outshot Los Angeles by 51 percent to 40 from the field at a sellout Staples Center while improving their record this season to 28-8.
"He's a special player," Martin told reporters about Durant, the three-time reigning NBA scoring champion. "He's the heart of our team and we just like to follow his lead.
"He brought a lot of intensity and you see your superstar bring intensity like that, everybody else better bring it also."
Kobe Bryant led the way with 28 points for the Lakers, who slipped to 15-21 after playing their third consecutive game without injured big men Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.
Howard, a three-time defensive player of the year, is out after re-aggravating a right shoulder injury while fellow All-Star Gasol is sidelined due to concussion.
"We have to put things in proper perspective," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said after his team had out-rebounded the Lakers 53-46.
"They have some of their best players not playing tonight and they're short-handed. They're going to be a different team once they get everybody back.
"But we played well. Kevin had a hot hand and they missed some shots. When we defend and rebound, we're a pretty good team on the offensive end."
SETTING THE TONE
With Durant swiftly setting the tone, Oklahoma raced ahead 25-14, but Los Angeles closed the opening quarter on an unanswered 11-point run to tie the score at 25-25.
The Lakers twice took narrow leads before the Thunder relentlessly seized control and, with Durant and Martin each burying two three-pointers, stormed ahead 64-48 by halftime.
Durant continued to put on a show in the third quarter, draining a mix of three-pointers, jump shots and one extravagant slum dunk as Oklahoma stretched their lead to 93-73.
Though Durant slowed in the final quarter, Westbrook caught fire and added a further 10 points to keep the Lakers at bay.
"We played hard the whole game, they were just better," said Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni. "Kevin Durant was just unstoppable. They were just longer, faster, better team-wise and we crumbled away. Second quarter really hurt us."
The Lakers lost six straight games for the first time since March 2007 and will aim to return to winnings ways when they host the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers (9-29) on Sunday.
"We put ourselves in this ditch and we are the only ones that can get us out," said D'Antoni. "Hopefully we can get some guys back and start our season on Sunday."
Antawn Jamison added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers off the bench but veteran point guard Steve Nash had a quiet game with seven points and seven assists in 30 minutes.
"I think we showed some fight but we were just a little over-matched," Nash said. "They're bigger than us at almost every position. Kevin got hot and we couldn't contain him in the second quarter."
(Editing by Alastair Himmer)

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Hill injury adds to mounting Lakers woes

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As if a sixth defeat on the bounce was not bad enough, the injury-hit Los Angeles Lakers faced further gloom on Friday with the news that back-up forward Jordan Hill will likely miss the rest of the season.
Hill, the most impressive bench player for the Lakers in a surprisingly below-par campaign, sat out the 116-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a left hip injury.
The six-foot 10-inch forward, who is averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds, had an arthrogram test earlier on Friday which revealed loose fragments along with a possible labral tear.
He has been advised to have season-ending surgery, although is expected to seek a second opinion before scheduling surgery.
Hill's absence further depletes a Lakers line-up already missing their top two big men -- Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol.
Center Howard, a three-time defensive player of the year, is out indefinitely after aggravating a right shoulder injury while Spanish forward Gasol is sidelined with concussion.
Their absence comes as the Lakers desperately try to climb out of a 15-21 hole, having started the season with heightened NBA title hopes after acquiring All-Stars Howard and Steve Nash during the off-season.
"We just have to have guys step up and play well," Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant told reporters after scoring 28 points in a losing effort against Oklahoma.
"You just have to step in and contribute. I'm more disappointed for Jordan. He's really worked hard. He played well for us last year, and he's been playing well for us this year."
Asked if the Lakers could reignite their fading playoff hopes after falling to 10-9 on their home court, Bryant replied: "Yes, I absolutely do. I'm just very frustrated and upset about what we're going through right now and how we are playing.
"We're going to have to make some big adjustments if we want to be successful. But yes, I do."
While the return of veteran point guard Nash from a leg fracture for the last 10 games certainly gave the team a much needed lift, the Lakers' ageing line-up has not been helped by a spate of injuries this season and three different head coaches.
Five-time NBA champion Bryant has been their only consistent player and Los Angeles have gone 10-16 since head coach Mike D'Antoni took over from interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff.
"It has got to turn around," 'D'Antoni said of his team's poor season. "We have to make a stand and do it.
"I am an optimist and I think it can happen. We are going to get some guys back but we can play well enough."

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Lakers star Kobe Bryant and wife reconcile, won't divorce

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, have reconciled and are no longer planning to divorce, the couple said in separate posts on social media sites.
Bryant, widely considered one of the greatest players ever in the National Basketball Association, and his wife filed for divorce in December 2011 after 10 years of marriage.
But they had been seen out together in recent weeks, leading to speculation about a possible reunion. They have two daughters, aged 10 and 6.
"I am happy to say that Vanessa and I are moving on with our lives together as a family," Bryant wrote on Facebook on Friday.
Vanessa Bryant posted a statement on her Instagram page that read: "We are pleased to announce that we have reconciled. Our divorce action will be dismissed."
In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault by an employee at a Colorado hotel. He denied the allegations, and charges were dropped after the woman refused to testify.
Vanessa Bryant, who married the Lakers star in April 2001, stayed with her husband during that scandal.

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Iran confiscates over a ton of narcotics a day

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's media are reporting that police confiscate over a ton of narcotics a day from smugglers.
Gen. Ali Moayedi, head of Iran's anti-narcotics police, is quoted by newspapers Sunday as saying that some 30 drug smugglers and addicts are identified and arrested every hour in Iran. He said over 200,000 were detained in the past nine months alone.
Iran lies on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe, as well as the Persian Gulf states.
Moayedi said that over 1,286 kg (2,835 pounds) are confiscated each day. This represents about a fifth of the total drugs that officials have previously said enter Iran --- of the rest, nearly 700 tons are consumed inside Iran and the remaining 1,300 tons are transited to Europe.

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Influential Israeli rabbi released from hospital

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli religious party says its powerful spiritual leader has been released from hospital after a minor stroke, easing concerns his health could affect the party's fortunes ahead of Jan. 22 elections.
Yakov Betzalel, who is spokesman for the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, said Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, 92, was at home with his family and would resume his daily routine later Sunday.
Yosef was taken to hospital on Saturday after collapsing during morning prayers.
The Baghdad-born religious scholar commands supreme influence in his party, which holds 10 of parliament's 120 seats and represents Jews of Middle Eastern descent.
Outside his party, the rabbi, with his trademark turban, gold-embroidered robes and dark glasses, has been a controversial figure, making incendiary comments on Palestinians, secular Jews, Holocaust survivors and gays.

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Syrian army advances in strategic Damascus suburb

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian troops advanced in a strategic suburb of Damascus and bombarded other areas around the capital Saturday in a push to secure President Bashar Assad's seat of power as rebels make gains in the north.
A government official said regime forces had taken much of Daraya, an area on the edge of a major military air base just south of the capital, after nearly two months of heavy fighting that anti-regime activists say has killed dozens of people and uprooted tens of thousands more from their homes.
The announcement came a day after rebels and Islamic militants seeking to topple Assad took full control of the northwestern Taftanaz air base in a significant blow to the military. The back-to-back declarations highlight the see-saw nature of the conflict in Syria, where one side's victories in one area are often followed by reverses in another.
In other violence, athletic champion Hisham Raqsha was shot to death in Damascus while on his way back home, according to the Observatory and state-run news agency SANA. SANA said Raqsha was the coach of Syria's walking team. His age and other details were not available.
Syrian troops have been battling since November to regain Daraya from the hands of anti-government fighters. The suburb is flanked by the key districts of Mazzeh, which is home to the military air base of the same name, and Kfar Sousseh, which holds the government headquarters, the General Security intelligence agency head office and the Interior Ministry.
It also is less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from the People's Palace — one of three palaces in the capital used by Assad.
The government official told The Associated Press in Damascus that the army still faced "small pockets" of resistance but he expected the area to be cleared in a few days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, acknowledged "the army has entered most of Daraya's neighborhoods." He added the number of casualties on both sides was high after weeks of fighting.
"Daraya is very important for the regime because the Mazzeh airport is a main artery for it," Abdul-Rahman said.
Daraya, which had a population of about 200,000 before the fighting, has been a stronghold of support for the rebels fighting the government since the start of the uprising in March 2011, posing a particularly grave threat to the capital.
In August, troops backed by tanks stormed the town after several days of siege, with hundreds reportedly killed. Most residents have fled to safer areas since the latest offensive began, leaving only about 10,000 civilians who are facing electricity cuts and dwindling food, fuel and medical supplies. A heavy snow storm last week only worsened the suffering of those left behind.
The Local Council opposition group says more than 1,300 people have been killed in Daraya since the uprising began. The council says 1,000 of its residents are in Assad's jails. Claims by both sides are impossible to verify because of restrictions on reporting in the country.
Today, those entering Daraya have to pass through government checkpoints at its gates or sneak through the fields escorted by rebels. Young men with automatic rifles and black headbands with Islamic writings manned checkpoints inside the suburb, which is controlled by members of the Furqan Bridage and other battalions known as Dayara Martyrs, Ababil and Houran.
A visit to the area earlier this week showed the desperate circumstances facing the residents under siege.
Earlier this week, one man who stood in front of his destroyed apartment said he had taken his family to Damascus for safety and returned to get some belongings. "As you can see, my home is totally destroyed. May God help me," the man said.
Inside a makeshift hospital, a medical student who identified himself only as Samih was trying to remove shrapnel from the shoulder of a rebel on a stretcher. "I haven't slept for two days," Samih said, also complaining about lack medical supplies.
Syria's pro-government media had reported that thousands of rebel fighters from the extremist Jabhat al-Nusra group have holed up in Daraya in preparation to storm Damascus.
Jabhat al-Nusra, which has been branded a terrorist organization by the U.S. and which Washington claims is affiliated with al-Qaida, has been among the most effective fighting forces on the rebel side. Syrian official statements regularly play up the role of Islamist extremists in the civil war and refer to the rebels as terrorists.
Syrian TV reported Saturday afternoon that Syrian troops are "chasing the remnants of armed terrorists groups in Daraya, killing a number of snipers."
The Observatory said other Damascus suburbs also were being shelled on Saturday and a car bomb exploded in the suburb of Sbaineh, causing heavy damage. It was not clear if the blast caused casualties, it said.
An amateur video posted online by activists showed several heavy damaged buildings by the blast. The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting on the events depicted.
The group also said Syrian warplanes attacked eastern suburbs of Damascus including Mleiha, as well as the rebel-held town of Rastan near the central city of Homs.
More than 60,000 people have been killed since the 22-month conflict started.
Rebels maintained control of the Taftanaz field in Idlib province on Saturday and intensified their assault on the Mannagh air base and the international airport of the city of Aleppo, which includes a military base, activists said.
Syrian TV reported Saturday that the army repelled attackers targeting Aleppo's Kishek airport and inflicted casualties. It gave no further details. The Observatory reported Saturday that warplanes carried out air raids around the Aleppo airport.
On the diplomatic front, Russia, one of Assad's last remaining allies, said Saturday it is still strongly against any foreign interference in Syria's affairs.
"As before, we strongly believe that all the issues concerning Syria's future must be decided by the Syrians themselves, without outside interference or the imposition of ready-made recipes for development," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

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Ex-baseball star Lenny Dykstra sentenced in bankruptcy fraud case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lenny Dykstra, the 1980s World Series hero who pleaded guilty earlier this year to bankruptcy fraud, was sentenced on Monday to six months in federal prison and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service.
The 49-year-old former ballplayer - who is already serving time in state prison for grand theft auto, lewd conduct and assault with a deadly weapon - was also ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution.
In the federal case, Dykstra pleaded guilty in July to bankruptcy fraud and other charges.
According to the written plea agreement, he admitted defrauding his creditors by declaring bankruptcy in 2009, then stealing or destroying furnishings, baseball memorabilia and other property from his $18.5 million mansion.
He also admitted giving false or misleading testimony about the property he removed from the Los Angeles-area home, which he had purchased from hockey great Wayne Gretzky, according to the court documents.
Dykstra, nicknamed "Nails" during his playing days, spent 11 years in the major leagues, mostly as an outfielder for the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
He is perhaps best remembered by Mets fans for the 1986 season, when he struck a walk-off game-winning home run in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.
And in Game 3 of the World Series, he hit a key lead-off home run, sparking a comeback by the Mets from a 2-0 series deficit to win the championship over the Boston Red Sox.
But in recent years Dykstra has become embroiled in a series of criminal cases.
In March of this year, he was sentenced to three years in state prison after pleading no contest to grand theft auto in what Los Angeles County prosecutors said was a scheme to lease cars using phony business and credit information.
And in April, the former athlete was sentenced to 270 days in jail and 36 months probation after pleading no contest to lewd conduct and assault with a deadly weapon.
Those charges stemmed from accusations that Dykstra exposed himself to women who answered his Craigslist ad for an assistant and housekeeper. One of the women told authorities the former athlete held a knife and forced her to massage him.
A no contest plea is the legal equivalent to pleading guilty under California law.

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