A sloppy third quarter and stagnant fourth allowed the San Antonio Spurs to climb back into the game, but each time the Los Angeles Lakers regained control and the end result was a 93-81 victory. The win was the Lakers’ third in a row, giving them their longest streak of the season.
Neither team shot well early in the game, with the Spurs’ 15 points a Lakers opponent-low in a first quarter this season. The slow start resulted in San Antonio managing a season-worst 38 points in the first half.
The Lakers, meanwhile, used a 17-0 run late in the first and into the second quarter to take a commanding lead. While they led by as many as 19 points, the Spurs at one point cut their deficit to six points and trailed 49-38 at halftime.
Although they led, the Lakers were saddled by Brook Lopez and Julius Randle each picking up three fouls in the first half. Moreover, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Randle were held scoreless, with both missing their two shots.
Caldwell-Pope had a spurt in the third quarter and went on to finish with 10 points, but Lopez and Randle didn’t have much of impact on the night. Larry Nance Jr. helped offset that with his typical energy and effort.
That amounted to 14 points and 10 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end of the court. Nance also added two steals and one block. Brandon Ingram scored a game-high 26 points, doing his heavy lifting in the first half, when he scored 18.
Lonzo Ball made first four shots, including three 3-pointers, and finished 7-for-11. He was second on the team with 18 points, and had 10 rebounds and six assists.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurts with 20 points, but they hardly seemed impactful. Pau Gasol fell just short of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW FORUM CLUB
