LA prevailed despite a rocky fourth quarter.
In San Antonio, your Los Angeles Lakers played three outstanding quarters of very Anthony Davis-centric basketball tonight, bullying the lowly 3-20 Spurs in the post and generally enjoying a comfortable lead that ballooned to as much as 20 points. LeBron James was resting on the second night of a back-to-back Texas two-step.
And then there was Victor Wembanyama.
With just 22 seconds remaining, the Spurs’ top draft pick, who appears to be only behind Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren for Rookie of the Year consideration, led his team on a 42-23 run to pull within one point, 117-116. The spark came from a 14-point Victor Wembanyama surge (4 of 4 from the field and 4 of 5 from the charity stripe).
The Lakers were sleeping in early in the game, having led by double digits for the majority of the evening. As the clock was running short, they were forced to make jumpers and avoid free throws—or tactical timeouts, for that matter.
Ultimately, with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, a poorly placed Wembanyama foul on Cam Reddish resulted in the 7’3″ future superstar’s sixth personal foul and consequent dismissal. The Spurs were unable to cling on long enough to pull off what would have been a historic comeback without his overwhelming presence around the rim.
By a solitary possession, LA prevailed 122-119. The Lakers’ season record improved to 15-10 after the win. The Spurs have now lost 18 straight games.
The Lakers anticipated that without James in charge, their offensive strategy would be more equitable tonight. In other words, they produced some snappy passing sequences, such as this puppy:
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But there’s no denying that Anthony Davis stole the show once more. The 6’10” big man from Los Angeles finished with 37 points (tying his record for the most points in a game) on 13 of 23 field goals and 9 of 12 free-throw attempts. He also had 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 dime, and 10 assists in 37:40 of play.
Indeed, it was the AD-Wembanyama performance.
All five starters (Rui Hachimura started because James was sitting) and the sixth player (for the time being, Austin Reaves), who finished with 15 points (he also nailed a ridiculous 60-footer at the end of the third quarter, but the officials decided it left his hands too late), were among the six Lakers who finished in double figures.
In order to avoid suffering their 19th consecutive loss, the Lakers will get a bit more sleep than they did tonight before facing the San Antonio Spurs on the road again on Friday.
