The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their third-straight win and once again it was their defense that led the way. Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball kept up their stellar play and Larry Nance Jr. gave the Lakers a huge boost off the bench as they defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 93-81.
Ingram led the Lakers with 26 points (his third 20-point game in the last four contests), and Ball had another all-around performance with 18 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals to set the tone for the team.
Nance had an outstanding game off the bench with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also blew the roof off Staples Center with a massive alley-oop finish in the fourth quarter that helped cement the win.
As head coach Luke Walton has been preaching all season, the Lakers locked in on defense and that was the difference for them. They held the Spurs to just 40.8 percent shooting and collected 15 steals.
All the while limiting San Antonio to season-low point totals in both the first quarter and first half. The Spurs were without a number of players including Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, and Danny Green, but they have proven in the past that they can win with whoever steps on the floor and they showed that fight.
They came back from a 19-point deficit in the first half to take the lead in the third quarter, led by LaMarcus Aldridge who had 20 points, and Bryn Forbes who finished with 18.
The Lakers had an answer for everything on the night, however, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stepped things up when the team needed it most. After a scoreless first half, Caldwell-Pope scored 10 in the second half, picking up five steals to lead the defensive charge.
After a rough start the Lakers ended their five-game homestand at 3-2 and now head to Dallas for an early game on Saturday. Last season an early weekend game in Dallas resulted in the worst loss in franchise history so the Lakers would be wise to channel that and come out fighting.
WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE NEW LAKERSNATION FORUM CLUB