Playing a second consecutive game as the road team against the same opponent and at the same arena for the first time since 1965, the Los Angeles Lakers completed a two-game sweep of the San Antonio Spurs with a 109-103 win Friday night.
It was slow start offensively for the Lakers as they missed five of their first six shots, but were able to pressure the Spurs into a couple of turnovers. Marc Gasol was active on both ends, tapping out two offensive rebounds to Schroder and blocking Patty Mills on a closeout to the corner.
Anthony Davis was able to take advantage of his size by scoring underneath the basket, but the Spurs’ execution in the halfcourt allowed them to take the lead. A pair of triples from Markieff Morris and LeBron James helped narrow the deficit, but Los Angeles found themselves down 31-25 after one.
Kyle Kuzma served as a spark at the top of the second as he drained a couple of jumpers to keep the Lakers close. Their energy was better defensively, but the Spurs were still able to get what they wanted in the painted area to stay in front.
Dennis Schroder and Davis were able to get going in the flow of the offense, but San Antonio quickly responded to keep momentum on their side. Despite that, James was able to convert on an and-1 opportunity to give the Lakers a slim 58-57 lead heading into halftime.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope opened the third with a personal 6-0 run that gave that caused head coach Gregg Popovich to call an early timeout. Caldwell-Pope turned his left ankle on a layup attempt and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the game due to a mild sprain.
The two teams began to trade shots down the stretch of the third, with Davis taking the scoring burden for the Lakers. However, despite his efforts the team was down 85-81 heading into the fourth.
James took control of the offense, draining a three and assisting on one to Talen Horton-Tucker but the Spurs remained on top. Both squads then began to trade shots from beyond the arc, but San Antonio maintained a slight edge throughout.
The Lakers and Spurs continued to scrap in the final minutes with neither side giving up any ground. It wasn’t until James’ basket with 28 seconds remaining that the Lakers created enough separation.
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