Coming into Saturday night’s contest against the San Antonio Spurs, not many gave the Los Angeles Lakers much of a chance to compete, let alone win. The Spurs entered the night boasting the second-best record in the NBA, while the Lakers came in with the league’s second worst.
With the Spurs being banged up and on the second night of a back-to-back, though, the Lakers had a fighting chance in this one, giving San Antonio all it could handle. In the end, the Spurs rallied to escape with a 106-102 victory to remain undefeated at home this season.
Kobe Bryant dazzled at times in his final trip to San Antonio, a city that he’s been a part of countless regular season and playoff battles. He had 25 points (9-of-28 shooting) and four assists, along with some classic clutch buckets down the stretch. Jordan Clarkson had an efficient night with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds and four assists, while Julius Randle put up an impressive line of 15 points, 17 rebounds and four assists. Despite battling foul trouble, D’Angelo Russell added 12 points (three-of-seven shooting) and a pair of assists in 22 minutes.
Even though the Spurs weren’t at full strength, it was an encouraging performance nonetheless from the Lakers, almost handing San Antonio their first home loss of the season. There were plenty of highlights from the Lakers, led by Kobe and the youngsters.
Next up for the Lakers is a Monday night matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
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