On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the San Antonio Spurs, their second game back on the road following a heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Due to a calf injury, LeBron James was unable to play for the Lakers in game two of a back-to-back. The Lakers’ 122-119 triumph was the product of other players stepping up to the plate.

Anthony Davis’s ankle rolled just 30 seconds into the game, but he was able to continue playing despite the setback. After the Lakers got a glimpse of Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama’s early 3-pointer, they got seven points in a row from Rui Hachimura, who also nailed a 3-pointer. James was benched as Hachimura started.

Then, with the Lakers up 13-8, Davis pounded the rookie for six consecutive baskets, prompting Gregg Popovich to call an early timeout.

Popovich benched all five starters in an effort to spark his squad after the Lakers extended their lead to eight points. Despite the spurring of a 5-0 run, the Lakers—led by Davis (15 points), Hachimura (nine points), and the inexperienced Spurs—could only manage a 34-26 lead after one quarter.

After a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, Austin Reaves continued the scoring early in the second with a three. Also contributing to Los Angeles’s 16-goal lead was Taurean Prince.

The Lakers’ lead was trimmed to 63-50 at halftime as Wembanyama answered Davis’s dominance with a slam and a block, but Davis extended his dominance with two uncommon triples.

Early in the third quarter, the Lakers’ Prince and Cam Reddish were locking up defensively, which led to fastbreak opportunities that Hachimura took advantage of with a slam. Prince likewise began to score, extending the margin to 19 with five consecutive points.

The Spurs, much to Johnson’s credit, refused to give up and battled back to tie the game thanks to his offensive play around the rim. The Lakers carried a 92-74 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to a long-range basket by Reaves and a free throw by Max Christie that ended the third quarter.

The Spurs cut their deficit to 13 points with Davis in the locker room before Prince hit another three-pointer.

The Spurs were able to cut the lead to single digits because to Wembanyama’s fouls and baskets in the paint. The game was reduced to a two-point contest after he made consecutive 3-pointers, which the Lakers subsequently blew a stupid turnover.

From there, Wembanyama was determined to get the ball in the hole, even if he kept getting fouled. Despite this, he would only complete one out of two, which was pivotal because Davis would go on to complete two from the line as well. Wembanyama failed to conjure up a miracle, and the Lakers held on for the victory, leaving the Spurs down three points.

Wembanyama finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 6 blocks, while Davis topped the team with 37 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, and 4 steals.