LOS ANGELES, Calif. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey . - Although Russell Westbrook grew up watching Kobe Bryant sink innumerable enormous shots for the Lakers, the Los Angeles native didnt worry when No. 24 had the ball with the game on the line against his Oklahoma City Thunder.Ive got confidence in the people that we have on our team to lock in at the end, Westbrook said.Thanks to Westbrooks offence and just enough defence on Bryants last shot, the Thunder won without Kevin Durant.Westbrook scored 31 points and hit a key jumper with 38 seconds left, and Oklahoma City overcame the NBA MVPs absence for a 104-103 victory Friday night.Bryant missed a 17-foot jumper right before the buzzer, the culmination of his 3-for-15 shooting night under the defence of Andre Roberson and his teammates.Reggie Jackson scored 25 points and hit the go-ahead free throws with 1:05 left for the Thunder, who persevered down the stretch for their eighth victory in nine games.We did a lot of good things tonight, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. We had opportunities to defend, and everybody stepped up. We have a team full of defenders, and everyone has to do their job.Especially without Durant, who sat out after spraining his right ankle in the first half of the Thunders loss at Golden State on Thursday night. Although Durants X-rays were negative and the sprain was mild, Oklahoma City elected to be cautious with its superstar, who only made his season debut in early December after surgery on a broken right foot.After Westbrook put the Thunder up 104-101 in the final minute, Jeremy Lin hit a jumper with 32 seconds left. Westbrook missed a shot to set up the Lakers final shot, but Bryants jumper clanged off the rim.Bryant said he got the shot he wanted, but couldnt decide whether to try to draw contact.I didnt have my legs tonight, Bryant said. It was pretty frustrating. Ive got to figure it out. Its kind of hit-and-miss. Some games its there, and some games its not. Ive just got to keep trying different things to get the proper rest.Bryant had nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who had won three of four. He put the Lakers up 99-98 with 2:36 left on a gorgeous fall-away jumper, but it was his only basket of the fourth quarter, where he went 1 for 5.Ed Davis had a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers.After Ronnie Price scored 11 points for the Lakers in the first 5 1/2 minutes, Westbrook led the Thunder back with 21 points in the first half, including 13 free throws without a miss.___TIP-INSThunder: Durant has missed 18 games this season after missing just 16 in his first seven NBA seasons combined. ... Jackson converted a four-point play in the third quarter. ...Serge Ibaka scored 16 points.Lakers: Coach Byron Scott voiced pregame support for Lin, who lost his starting job and entered this game in a shooting slump. Scott says Lin has to stop thinking so much ... but I think it will start clicking for him pretty soon. ... The Lakers honoured Bryant before the game for passing Michael Jordan and moving into third place on the NBAs career scoring list during their recent road trip. Bryant was joined by his wife and daughters on the court. ... The Lakers have lost 14 of 18 to the Thunder.TOSSED OUTNick Young was ejected with 11:24 to play after he retaliated to contact from Steven Adams with a forearm and elbow to the throat of the Oklahoma City centre. Young said Adams is a sneaky, dirty player, but Young also blamed himself for the ejection, saying he lost my mind a little bit, checked into the crazy house and got back out. Young had 10 points before his ejection. He was doing his job. He got me kicked out of the game. Thats what they put him in the game to do, Young said.UP NEXTThunder: Host New Orleans on Sunday.Lakers: At Sacramento on Sunday. Terry Porter Blazers Jersey . The unrestricted free agent agreed to terms with the club on Thursday on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000. C.J. McCollum Blazers Jersey .com) - Manchester City will face a steep test in the Champions League knockout stage as the English champions were drawn with Barcelona on Monday. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Brandon-Roy-Blazers-Jersey/ . In the last race before the Sochi Olympics, Bjoergen followed up her win in the 10-kilometre classical race on Saturday by beating World Cup sprint leader Denise Herrmann of Germany by 0.43 seconds for her fifth victory of the season.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chris Archer has done all right for a guy who was cut from his seventh grade team and once told by a coach he would never be good enough to pitch in college, let alone the major leagues. The 25-year-old right-hander not only has a promising future with the Tampa Bay Rays, he will be paid well while trying to reach his potential. "Not making teams, being told I was never going to play college baseball, getting traded twice, and now Im sitting here in this seat where not many people ever get," Archer said Wednesday after finalizing a $25.5 million, six-year contract, the latest long-term deal the Rays have given to one of their young pitchers. "Having the ability to make my parents debt-free is huge for me right now. And just the willingness from the Rays to offer such a contract for somebody with under a year of service time is remarkable," Archer added. "It was definitely something I couldnt say no to. It was a smooth, easy process." The contract includes club options for 2020 and 2021 that could raise the value to $43.75 million. Archer went 9-7 with a 3.22 ERA in 23 starts as a rookie in 2013. Hes scheduled to make his first start of the season Thursday against Toronto. "Its a contract, and its guaranteed money, but I think its just the beginning of six or eight great years," Archer said. Tampa Bay has one of the deepest pitching rotations in baseball, as well as a history of signing its best young players to long-term contract early in their careers. Left-hander Matt Moore, a 17-game winner a year ago, signed a $14 million, five-year deal after making just one regular-season start in the majors. Archer gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $500,000 this year, $1 million in 2015, $2.75 million in 2016, $4.75 million in 2017, $6.25 million in 2018 and $7.5 million in 2019. The Rays have a $9 million option for 2020 with a $1.75 million buyout, and if that option is exercised they have an $11 million option for 2021 with a $250,000 buyout. Rays executivve vice-president Andrew Friedman said Archer has the talent to "develop into a top-of-the-rotation starter," as well as the work ethic and character off the field to ensure the Rays are making a good investment. Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey. "Its not only important to identify the talent of the player, but also who they are," Friedman said. "As much as were betting on his talent, were betting on who he is, as well." Archer was obtained from the Cubs as part of an eight-player trade that sent Matt Garza to Chicago in 2011. The new deal replaces a one-year contract agreed to in February that called for Archer to make $511,200 in the major leagues and $214,222 in the minors. The native of Clayton, N.C., was promoted from Triple-A Durham last June 1 and went on to lead AL rookies making a minimum of 20 starts in ERA, opponents batting average (.226), complete games (two), shutouts (two). He finished third in balloting for AL Rookie of the Year behind Rays outfielder Wil Myers and Detroit shortstop Jose Iglesias. Talks on the new deal began during spring training. Archer said he consulted with a number of people during the process, including some players whove signed long-term deals early in their career and some who turned it down. "What came from it is never turn your back on your first fortune," said Archer, adding that he feels blessed to be in a position to make sure his parents become debt-free. "At the end of the contract, theres still room to sign another deal or extension or whatever it might be. From where I come from, this is more than I can ever ask for, to be honest." Archer thanked the Rays for trading for him after other organizations gave up on developing him. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2006 and traded to the Cubs in December 2008. "It seems like this was the first team that Ive ever really played for that really believed in me and was willing to wait an extra year or two for me to really turn into what I could possibly be," Archer said. ' ' '