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 Forward Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points and
Kawhi Leonard had 18 as the Spurs coasted to a 108-95 victory over
the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.
Reserve guard Patty Mills added 15 points for the Spurs (38-6), who
captured their season-high 13th win in a row. Guard Danny Green
contributed 12 points, all of them coming on 3-pointers, and point
guard Tony Parker chipped in 10 points.
Much of the postgame chatter centered on the Spurs' visit to Oakland
against the Warriors.
"There is no doubt that the players will look at it like more than
that," Spurs coach Greg Popovich said. "They can't help it. They're
playing the best team in the league and they'll be fired up about
that."
Maybe all of the Spurs except the low-key Leonard.
"It's another game on the schedule, but it's against a great team,"
Leonard said. "We just have to go out there and have a mindset to
execute and play great defense."
Guards Lou Williams, Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell scored 16
points apiece for the Lakers (9-36), who lost their fifth straight
and ninth in 10 games. Forward Julius Randle chipped in 12 points
and 14 rebounds. Center Roy Hibbert also had 10 points.
Lakers forward Kobe Bryant managed just five points on 2-of-9
shooting and six assists in 27 minutes.
"After the games, I'm annoyed by the losses," Lakers coach Byron
Scott said. "I go home and wake up the next day and get ready for
another day of work."
The Spurs, who worked the Phoenix Suns 117-89 on Thursday despite
resting forward Tim Duncan and Parker, are 8-0 on the second end of
back-to-back contests, the only NBA club with a perfect mark. They
also have taken 15 of the last 18 from the Lakers.
"They probably move the ball better than anyone, I think," said
Clarkson, who hit six of 12 shots and two of three 3-pointers. "They
pass up so many open shots to just let their teammate get other
shots. It's definitely something we can take."
The Lakers actually stayed within striking distance until late in
the third quarter. They trailed 48-43 after Clarkson nailed a
3-pointer with 3:19 left in the second quarter, but the Spurs closed
on an 8-0 run for a 56-43 advantage at the break. San Antonio
outshot Los Angeles 47.7 percent to 39.5 percent in the first half.
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For the game, the Spurs made 50.6 percent of their shots to 45.2 for
the Lakers. They also connected on 11 of 21 (52.4 percent) from
3-point range compared to 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) for Los Angeles.
In the third, the Lakers used a 9-1 run to pull within 67-61 after a
Bryant 3-pointer with 5:13 remaining in the quarter, but San Antonio
answered with a 20-8 surge for an 87-71 cushion heading into the
final quarter.
That set the stage for the anticipated matchup at Oracle Arena
pitting the two teams with the best records in the NBA.
"It's an important game in the sense that you always want to match
up against the best," Ginobili said. "Cleveland, at home a week ago,
was a big game because you want to see at what stage you are and how
you match up against the best. For sure, Golden State has been the
best and we want to see where we are. It just counts as one win,
just like this one."
Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. missed his third straight game with a
sore right knee.
NOTES: Byron Scott and Gregg Popovich expressed empathy for coach
David Blatt, who was fired earlier Friday by the Cleveland
Cavaliers. "All of us in the business know how it works and we
always feel bad when it comes to a colleague," Popovich said. "And
this is another case, as usual, where he's a heck of a coach, where
circumstances often dictate what happens to some coaches. It's got
really nothing to do with their abilities." ... Today marks the 10th
anniversary of Lakers F Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points against the
Toronto Raptors. ... San Antonio is the first NBA team to post 16
wins by 20 or more points in their opening 43 games. ... Los Angeles
visits the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, while the Spurs have
a showdown with the Golden State Warriors on Monday in Oakland.
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