Lakers Energy Defeats Spurs Energy
Head Coach Darvin Ham’s advice to his team is exactly what they did tonight in the second game of their back-to-back, “Fight energy with energy.” The fight brought them a 123-118 victory over the Spurs.
Where it felt like Los Angeles controlled the game, San Antonio managed to hang on and stay right in it, the Lakers only led by four at half and then by four again heading into the final frame.
The Spurs biggest threat was found in Victor Wembanyama who by half had 16 points and seven rebounds to Lakers big man, Anthony Davis’s 13 points and three rebounds. They battled in the paint, but the Lakers ultimately owned it with 60 to San Antonio’s 50 points and 55 to the Spurs 53 boards.
AD nor Wemby ever took their foot off the gas; Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and five steals and Davis had 28 points and 13 rebounds even while sitting the entire fourth quarter.
What made the difference Davis vs. Wembanyama? Davis’ supporting cast outplayed Wemby’s.
LeBron James, who missed last night’s loss in Golden State because of his left ankle returned with a fury tonight. Despite their loss, Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich commented how much he enjoys watching the All-Time Scoring Leader, “LeBron’s been spectacular for so long, and he’s done it with class” He led the game with 30 points. Six of those points were two-made threes, lifting LeBron past Nick Van Exel as No. 3 on the Lakers’ All-Time Three-Pointers List.
Davis and James combined for 58, nearly half of the team’s total points.
And where the duo brought power and finesse, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura brought energy and aggression.
D’Lo, who turned 28 today, brought a style that felt like a metronome for the conduction of this game—he’s been bringing it. As he confidently shot from three, he kept the crowd engaged. He finished 42.9% from the arc along with 22 points, six assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
And then there was Rui Hachimura’s aggression that infused urgency into the game during his 31 minutes of play. Rui finished the night with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. He attacked the basket fiercely and made three of his four three-point attempts.
The Lakers will face Phoenix on Sunday. Both LeBron and Ham’s advice for the team heading into their next slew of competitive games, “Everyone needs to do their jobs.