SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs got stuffed by the Los Angeles Lakers 119-101 on the second night of a back-to-back on Thanksgiving Eve at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday night.
The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for San Antonio, who had not won four consecutive games since March 2022.
In case you were prepping the Thanksgiving turkey and missed it, here are three main points from the Spurs loss to the Lakers:
Getting outplayed
The Spurs quickly established a 9-2 lead, but Los Angeles quickly regained control of the game. From the opening tip, the Lakers demonstrated poise and patience, outmaneuvering and outperforming the Spurs in all aspects of the game. Anthony Davis was dominant as he was pursuing rebounds and disrupting Wembanyama’s efforts on the offensive end. Despite finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wembanyama struggled from the field, making only 9-of-20 shots.
Rookie Dalton Knecht, who led Los Angeles with 20 points, sank a floater and Austin Reaves made a wide-open three-pointer, respectively, to push the Lakers’ lead back up to 73-63 after the Spurs rallied in the second half to cut the deficit to four points.
“Right now, it feels like physicality and decisiveness were the two things,” Spurs Acting Head Coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. “Just felt like we were a little indecisive and out of sorts, and I think that might even led to the physicality or lack thereof.”
Offensive struggles
The Spurs’ inability to secure rebounds was the primary factor contributing to their first half struggles. Anthony Davis presented a significant challenge to the Spurs in the initial 24 minutes, securing 10 rebounds and assisting the Lakers in out-rebounding San Antonio 28-18.
Los Angeles’ defense was the story of the first half as they held Wembanyama to seven points and forced nine Spurs turnovers. Both Wemby and Stephon Castle struggled with their offense, combining for just 30 points.
“There’s no there’s really no excuses to it,” Spurs forward Julian Champagne said. “We all have to come out and say we want to win a game.”
A chance to grow
After getting their four-game winning streak snapped, the Spurs have a chance to use this experience of a crushing defeat combined with a lackluster effort to learn from their mistakes and get better.
While the Spurs are improved from a year ago, Wednesday’s loss shows they still have plenty of room to grow.
“We know it wasn’t our best game, and I think we all owned it,” Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said.
Up next
The Spurs are now 10-9 on the season and will have a few days off before returning to the court on Sunday night to face the Sacramento Kings (9-10) at 8 p.m. at the Golden1 Center.
The Lakers (11-7) will have Thanksgiving off before hitting the court on Friday to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-4) in NBA Cup play.
