Spurs heat up from deep, run past listless Lakers
In town since Monday, the San Antonio Spurs looked like the more rested team, not the Los Angeles Lakers, who had just arrived in L.A. a little over 24 hours earlier.
The Spurs used a 16-for-35 effort from beyond the arc to defeat the Lakers, 118-109 at the Staples Center on Thursday.
San Antonio improved it’s record to 4-4 on the season, while the Lakers dropped to 6-3 on the year.
The Lakers had defeated the Spurs in back-to-back games earlier this season, but LaMarcus Aldridge did not play in those games due to a knee issue. Aldridge led the Spurs with 28 points and five rebounds. Playing back in his hometown of Los Angeles, DeMar DeRozan added 19 points and eight assists.
LeBron James led the Lakers, notching a double-double with 27 points and 12 assists.
The two teams and the officials linked arms at half-court during the national anthem as a sign of unity in response to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.
Staples Center/USA Today
Top player: Anthony Davis was frustrated with the officiating most of the second half, but finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
What I liked: The Lakers held a 66-34 advantage in points in the paint and 48-40 rebound edge. ... L.A’s bench outscored San Antonio’s bench 36-34.
What I did not like: The Lakers never held a lead and trailed by as many as 15 points. … L.A. turned it over 13 times and the Spurs scored 16 points off those miscues.
Injuries: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was held for a third game due to a mild left ankle sprain he suffered last week against San Antonio. After missing five games due to the league’s COVID-19 rules, guard Alex Caruso played 18 minutes, finishing with eight points.
They said it: “For me, just making a statement about what’s wrong in this country and things have to change, in particular with regards to racism. And it’s a problem. We’re working to change things. It’s not going to happen overnight. But what we saw in he last two days with the Jaco Blake ruling and the events at the capitol were just very disheartening and saddening, and it was just the inequality and the double standard on full display. And it’s not right. So, we got to continue the conversation, keep the conversation going and hopefully continue to affect change whenever we can.” – Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
