The San Antonio Spurs were able to win their match against the Los Angeles Lakers again after suffering 18 straight losses. Devin Vassell gave the struggling Lakers—who were without Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell—36 points.

Los Angeles Lakers (15-11) – San Antonio Spurs (4-20) 129:115 (BOXSCORE)

Between November 2 and that gloomy evening, the Spurs had lost 18 games in a row. Vassell and his teammates on the team revealed Victor Wembanyama as the new franchise record. “It didn’t feel like a typical battle,” Vassell said afterward. “It was people fighting on the opposite side of the line.” That was something special; that is a unique group. We never would have imagined that we would lose so much ground on one another.”

San Antonio got off to a fast start and took the lead early in the second quarter with 49:24. The Lakers were forced to rely on Cam Reddish (Knie) in addition to Russell (Migräne) and Davis (Hüfte) for the third time in four days that they were on the court. “Unser Team ist nicht dafür gebaut, drei Starter zu ersetzen” , said James: “But the Spurs deserve respect for their outstanding performance. Sie warfen dem Ball mit großer Care.”

Nevertheless, the Lakers, led by LeBron James (23 points, 7/17 FG, 14 assists), launched a counteroffensive in the second quarter. Following a 38:17 deficit, the visitors were down just four points just before halftime. However, L.A. was never able to take the lead, as San Antonio again lagged behind after the break. This again fell short of the excellent Spurs triple quote of 18/42 (42,9%). Vassell scored five of these touchdowns in ten attempts, making 12/19 out of the field while only committing one turnover en route to 36 points.

Wembanyama (13) only made 5 of 13 free throws, but he grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in addition to 2 steals and 2 blocks. “It feels like a playoff game for me,” the top selection remarked. “I’m addicted to it,” he added. All six Spurs starters scored in double figures, and Zach Collins (16, 6 Rebounds) and Cedi Osman (15, 3/6 3P, 6 Assists) provided strong support.

Despite the setbacks, the Lakers still had two strong backup reserves in the backcourt: Christian Wood (17 rebounds, 4 assists) and Rui Hachimura (20 rebounds, 4 assists) who both spent more than 30 minutes on the floor. Returning to the starting lineup, Austin Reaves scored 22 points (4/10 three-pointers) and four assists while Max Christie (2, 1/6 three-pointers) and Jaxson Hayes (8, seven rebounds) made fewer use of their opportunities.