LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Chris Paul had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 105-86 victory over the poor-shooting Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Danilo Gallinari scored 19 points and Steven Adams had 18 for the Thunder (42-25), who never trailed in their first win over the Lakers in four meetings this season. Oklahoma City pulled even with Houston for the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoff picture with five games left.
The 86 points were the fewest by the Lakers -- and by a Thunder opponent -- this season.
"We just tried to stick to the game plan," Paul said. "We tried to keep those guys off the [free-throw] line as much as possible. We tried to build a wall up on LeBron when he's pushing it. Just trying to make it hard for them."
LeBron James had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers (51-16), who fell to 2-2 in the bubble. Los Angeles, which has already clinched the top seed in the West and the Pacific Division title, never held a lead for the first time all season.
"I think we had some great possessions," James said. "I think sometimes we have some bad shot selection throughout the course of these games, but I think we got some great looks. Our defense is pretty good. We only allowed the Thunder to shoot 43% from the field. We'll get our rhythm and start making some."
The Lakers went a season-worst 5 for 37 on three-pointers and made only 35% of their shots overall. Los Angeles dropped two games behind Milwaukee for the NBA's best overall record, which won't provide a real home-court advantage in the NBA Finals this year.
"We're building habits, and every time we're out there we have a chance to build and find rhythms," Lakers Coach Frank Vogel said. "These games are still really important for us to do that."
Dion Waiters scored 14 points for the Lakers, whose poor perimeter shooting in the bubble still hasn't been fixed as they dropped to 25% on three-pointers in their last four games. They went 1 for 12 behind the arc in the first quarter against Oklahoma City, and they missed 19 of their first 22 attempts until late in the third quarter.
The Thunder were only 5 for 24 on three-pointers, but their steady defense and 32-of-36 effort at the free-throw line led to a comfortable win.
"I felt we had a good team effort in terms of getting back and letting [James] see a crowd," Thunder Coach Billy Donovan said. "Neither team shot it too well from behind the line today."
In other games played Wednesday, Joel Embiid had 30 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers held on to beat the Washington Wizards 107-98 despite losing two-time All-Star Ben Simmons to a knee injury in the third quarter. There was no immediate word from the 76ers on the extent of Simmons' injury, which occurred as he landed awkwardly after grabbing an offensive rebound. At the next break in the action, he walked gingerly to the locker room and did not return. Tobias Harris added 17 points for the 76ers. Thomas Bryant had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards. ... Michael Porter Jr. had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs 132-126. Nikola Jokic added 25 points and 11 assists. Jerami Grant finished with 22 points. Rudy Gay scored 24 points, and Derrick White added 23 points and 7 assists for the Spurs. ... Joe Ingles scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz kept the Memphis Grizzlies winless in the NBA bubble with a 124-115 victory. Mike Conley had 23 points and seven assists against his former team for the Jazz, who nudged ahead of Houston for the fourth spot in the Western Conference standings. Dillon Brooks scored 23 points, while Grayson Allen had a career-high 20 points and six three-pointers as the Grizzlies dropped to 0-4 in the seeding round. ... Fred VanVleet had 21 points and 10 assists, and the Toronto Raptors held on to beat the Orlando Magic 109-99. Pascal Siakam added 15 points and Kyle Lowry finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. Toronto has won its last seven dating back to before the hiatus, and three consecutive games since the restart. ... Jaylen Brown stayed hot with 21 points on five three-pointers, and the Boston Celtics rolled past the Brooklyn Nets 149-115. Jayson Tatum added 19 points, and Gordon Hayward and Robert Williams each had 18 for the Celtics, who posted a season high in points. Boston shot 20 of 39 from three-point range.
