Last weekend, the Lakers emerged victorious in the inaugural in-season tournament of the NBA by going on a sensational run in Las Vegas.
At this time last weekend, they were in the news for an entirely different reason.
By losing 129-115 to the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers allowed the Spurs to end an 18-game losing streak that was a franchise record.
The Spurs defeated the Lakers, who were behind for three starters on Friday in San Antonio, 36 points off the bench of guard Devin Vassell, setting a new career high.The Spurs accumulated a dreadful 3–20 record. Not at this time.Notable absences for the Lakers included D’Angelo Russell (migraine), Anthony Davis (sore hip and groin), and Cam Reddish (knee injury).
The triumvirate accumulated a 47-point average.”It’s difficult when you’re missing three of your starting players,” said Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. “However, nobody is sorry for you…””I must only get back to health as quickly as possible.”
Recently, Davis in particular had been performing exceptionally well. Last weekend, against Indiana, he scored 41 points to help the Lakers win the inaugural in-season tournament of the NBA. He then scored 37 points against Dallas and San Antonio on Wednesday, tying the total for that day.”Our roster cannot support three starters who are sidelined.” “Our physical capabilities are limited,” LeBron James stated. “When in peak condition, our team ranks among the elite in the division. A number of ups and downs have occurred when we were not together.”The Lakers (15-11) exhibited a sluggish start, particularly on defense.The Spurs established a commanding 42-22 advantage in the first quarter, an odd continuation of their 45-point fourth-quarter lead they had gained the day before against the Lakers.The Lakers maintained a 69-62 halftime deficit but never held the upper hand for the duration of the contest.
San Antonio had seven players in double digits in scoring, including Zach Collins (16 points) and Cedi Osman (15 points), both of whom were reserve players. The sensational rookie Victor Wembanyama accumulated 15 rebounds and 13 points.The Lakers were inadequate not only defensively but also offensively, managing only Rui Hachimura (20 points), Austin Reaves (22) and James (23 points). Additionally, they struggled at the free-throw line, converting only 18 of 28 attempts (64%).James appeared revitalized following his absence from Wednesday’s contest due to a tender calf.Although he recorded 14 assists on Friday, nine of which came in the second quarter, he was unable to prevent a minor injury. He was struck in the face three times, including a swipe by teammate Hachimura that inadvertently caused blood to flow near the nostrils.”I have a minor headache, but everything will be fine,” James replied.James permanently exited the contest with 5:29 remaining. The Lakers trailed by twenty points.The Lakers will not resume play until Monday against New York at home. They continued their journey with three games each in Chicago, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City.