The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Las Angeles Lakers 100-85 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena Thursday night, the last contest before the start of All-Star weekend in Orlando, Fla.

The Thunder weren’t rolling early. They let the Lakers take an early 23-19 advantage after the first quarter, mostly due to poor shooting. Oklahoma City shot 36.8% (7-19) from the floor in the opening frame, including 2-6 from beyond the arc. Kevin Durant, who will be participating in the All-Star Celebrity Challenge, the 3-point Competition and the game itself, got off to a quick start with nine of his 33 points coming in the first 12 minute. Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka combined for 10 points while Ibaka pulled down four rebounds.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant got off to a quick start as well. Bryant came into the game as the NBA’s top scorer and got started with 10 opening quarter points on his way to a 24-point effort. The Lakers tried to assert themselves down low very early in the game. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for eight points and seven rebounds to start the game and the team outscored Oklahoma City 10-4 in the paint.

The Thunder started to heat up in the second. Durant kept his stroke on aim with 11 points on 4-6 shooting in the second frame while Westbrook and James Harden combined for nine points and four rebounds. Oklahoma City turned their shooting slump around by going 10-17 from the field, including a 3-pointer from Westbrook and a 15-footer from Durant in the final .8 seconds of the half.

Pau Gasol did all he could to keep the Lakers from falling too far behind before the half. He went 3-3 in the second quarter for nine points while the Thunder defense held Bryant scoreless on four shots.

The Thunder got things going after the halftime break. They cleaned up their offense with 10 assists and one turnover and by the 6:54 mark they built a nine-point lead. They extended the lead 13 points on a Daequan Cook jumper with 1:43 left in the quarter. Cook scored all eight of his points in the frame while Westbrook and Durant combined for 11 points and nine assists.

Oklahoma City’s defense also stepped up in the second half. They held the Lakers to 19 points on 5-19 shooting (26.3) in the third quarter. Bryant was L.A.’s leading scorer in the frame with eight points while Gasol poured in six on 3-6 shooting.

Although the Thunder turned in a poor shooting performance in the final quarter, it was enough to pull out the victory. Harden, who was quiet most of the game, exploded in the fourth for nine points on 3-5 shooting and carried Oklahoma City to the finish line. Harden finished the game with 16 points and four rebounds. Durant scored six down the stretch and Westbrook put in five of his 19 points as well.

Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins didn’t fill the stat sheet like their All-Star teammates, but their production was just as important. The Thunder big men combined for 12 points and 22 rebounds. Perkins finished with three points, but held Andrew Bynum to just 14 points on 5-15 shooting.

“We’re so proud of our bigs every night,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said after the victory. “They’re the unsung heroes for us and they bring it every night. Serge (Ibaka) and Perk made their guys earn every spot on the floor and forced them to make tough shots. They deserve a lot of credit for this win.”

The Thunder will start the second half of the season on a three-game road trip that starts in Philadelphia on Feb. 29 and ends in Atlanta on Mar. 3. The team will be back home for their third matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Mar. 5.