The Los Angeles Lakers returned home to host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, which was not an easy task given the play of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs overall.
The Lakers have been playing great basketball too though and were chasing their fifth straight win. Ultimately, it was the Lakers that came out on top with a 118-116 come-from-behind victory to improve to 7-2.
Wembanyama got the scoring started with a putback for San Antonio, although Luka Doncic then responded with a deep 3-pointer. Unfortunately though, the Spurs jumped out to an early lead thanks to a six-point possession because Marcus Smart was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on a 3-point shot.
The mere presence of Wembanyama kept the Lakers from going into the paint, where they have often lived this week. Doncic also got off to a rare slow start, although he began to heat up to end the first quarter to cut L.A.’s deficit to 29-26.
Wembanyama came in to start the second, but he quickly picked up two fouls to give him three overall, sending him back to the bench. That gave the Lakers a huge opportunity offensively, and they took advantage as Doncic found Rui Hachimura for a triple to take a 47-46 lead.
Doncic was filling up the statsheet in the first half, creating for himself and his teammates while also making plays defensively to take a 60-59 lead into the halftime locker room.
Marcus Smart came out hot in the third quarter with five straight points, although San Antonio also got hot from deep and then regained the lead on a dunk by Wembanyama.
The Lakers went ice cold from there and found themselves trailing by double digits with the Spurs continuing to shoot at a high clip. L.A. couldn’t keep San Antonio off the free throw line with the refs seemingly calling every little thing, allowing the latter to take a 96-88 lead into the fourth quarter.
Wembanyama picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth, so Doncic and the Lakers began chipping away. Unfortunately, Doncic also picked up his fifth foul so he had to be careful.
The Lakers were struggling at the free throw line, but they hung in there and all of a sudden were trailing by just two after a Hachimura triple.
L.A. came all the way back and took the lead heading into the final minutes after a deep triple by Doncic. Wembanyama then barreled over Hachimura, picking up his sixth foul on the charging call.
From there, the Lakers almost gave the game away, but the Spurs missed a game-tying free throw in the final second.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will now head out on a five-game road trip, beginning with Saturday night against the Atlanta Hawks and then Monday against the Charlotte Hornets.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
