Ja’Kobi Gillespie Comes Alive in Fourth Quarter as Austin Spurs Settle Laketown Squadron

San Antonio Spurs two-way point guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie led a dominant scoring effort to pull the Austin Spurs past the Laketown Squadron in their home opener.

Nov 8, 2026; Cedar Park, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs two-way guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (17) shoots the ball in the first half against the Laketown Squadron at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. | Michael A. Gonzales/Austin Spurs

CEDAR PARK, Texas – The Laketown Squadron had the size advantage, but the Austin Spurs beat them with its superior speed and ball movement. 

The San Antonio Spurs' 2026 second-round pick Ja’Kobi Gillespie found life in the second half, closing out Austin’s home opener against the Laketown Squadron with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a 115-103 victory on Sunday at H-E-B Center.

“He's getting better at making the right plays," Austin Spurs coach Chris Kent said of Gillespie, "and then defensively, he's so competitive. He's just a pit bull. He does it on both ends, and he doesn't let anything affect how hard he plays, and he brings it every day.”

Making it rain ☔️ pic.twitter.com/d2HxgzA86K

— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) November 8, 2026

The Spurs improved to 2-0 and are averaging 118.5 points per game to begin the season.

Austin starting power forward Terry Taylor started the second half hot, closing out the afternoon with 24 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Coming off the bench, R.J. Davis continued to impress, exploding for 21 points in 26 minutes.

Maliq Brown got into foul trouble early in the first half and was limited for most of the game. Brown's impact was felt when he was on the court, coming down with nine rebounds. Jayden Nunn put together his second back-to-back double-digit night with 12 points.

It was a very ugly first half for Gillespie, who struggled in the field, going 2-for-7 and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc, an unusual performance from the sharpshooter.

For a close knit affair, Gillespie took over in crunch time hitting back-to-back 3s to give Austin an 10-point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter.

“He got frustrated in the first half," Taylor said. "And I told him, ‘Hey, bro, you're the best shooter down here. You know what I'm saying? Just keep shooting.'"

He continued: "Just those little words, I feel like, can get anybody going.”

Nov 8, 2026; Cedar Park, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs two-way guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (17) shoots in the second half against the Laketown Squadron at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. | Michael A. Gonzales/Austin Spurs

Gillespie came up big late in the quarter, driving into traffic off an inbound pass for the quick jumper and forcing a quick turnover on the next possession. He missed his second shot, but Taylor swiftly rebounded for second-chance points to make it a 13-point game, the largest lead of the night for Austin.

Speed was the name of the game to counter Laketown's obvious size advantage, which seemed to have no shortage of big men. It took some time for Austin to get into a rhythm, turning the ball over six times in the first half. The Spurs played a cleaner game in the final 24 minutes, coming away with four turnovers in the second half.

“We just came out flat a little bit in the first half, but (in the) second half, we picked it up.” Davis said. “I think our defense definitely picked up in the second half. I think it was lacking a little bit in the first half. We weren’t talking as much.”

Still undefeated, Austin will continue its Tip-Off Tournament slate against the Memphis Hustle on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from H-E-B Center is set for at 3 p.m. Central.