Victor Wembanyama's Spurs were terribly lacking in consistency. Back-to-back after their sluggish victory at the Jazz, San Antonio was forced to surrender against the Lakers (119-101). At the opening of the NBA Cup two weeks ago, the Alamo City protégés came close to bringing down JJ Redick's men.
This time, the Californians, the day after their heavy defeat in Phoenix, were not afraid… “We should have focused on the essential things and been diligent in executing the right system at the right time”regrets Wemby, his black hood on his head, his face crestfallen.
Spurs want to “build and learn” from this defeat
Put on the right track by his surprising rookie, Dalton Knecht (20 points including 10 scored in the first quarter) and by a beaming D'Angelo Russell (17 points at 7/11 on shots), the Lakers quickly led the dance. With a great ability to project forward and play inside (58 points in the racket), Anthony Davis' Lakers (19 points at 8/14 on shots) quickly overwhelmed the Spurs, visibly not quite concerned that evening. “We were unable to respond to their physical intensity and we sometimes lacked conviction in what we were doing and it's quite disappointing because the Lakers, especially with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at their head, are always ready to play and won't give you anything »breathes Mitch Johnson, who hopes “build and learn” of this setback.
The Spurs, for their part, were unable to penetrate the Californian defense, although far from being among the most impervious in the league. Chris Paul tried to energize the Texan attack but his teammates hardly found any inspiration, especially at long distance (14/40 from 3-points).
The Spurs, who remained on four straight victories before receiving the Angelinos, failed to maintain pressure on the Lakers. Several times during the second half, Mitch Johnson's men came back below the five-point mark but each time, they were caught by the Lakers, often keeping them around ten points behind. delay, before bowing quite heavily (119-101). “It was like we had a few periods where we were playing solid basketball with good fundamentals but when we are coming back, we don’t last long”summarizes Mitch Johnson.
After the three-day break for Thanksgiving, the Spurs will challenge the Kings on December 1, while the Lakers will host OKC for a Western Conference clash on November 29.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
— Successful return to competition for Devin Vassell. Although he sometimes monopolized the ball, the Spurs guard finished the game with 14 points at 5/10 on shots in 22 minutes. “He had a good match tonight”greets Mitch Johnson. “We know Devin is able to help us, help us find rhythm and help us score. We just have to manage to integrate it into our rotations but it won't take much time. »
— Victor Wembanyama failed to guide the Spurs to an eleventh success in nineteen games. After his good performance at Jazz (34 points), “Wemby” was less skillful behind the arc than usual (2/9 at 3-points) but he still finished with a 6th double-double this season ( 20 points on 9/20 shooting and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes).
— Armel Traoré scored his first points in the NBA. Fifty-first French player to set foot on the floors of the Grand League, the former ADA Blois player (Betclic Élite) was rewarded for his XXL performance in the G-League the day before (17 points and 22 rebounds, a South Bay Lakers record). He scored an acrobatic basket on a lay up 1:40 minutes from time against Victor Wembanyama, his longtime friend and former teammate.
From our correspondent in San Antonio (United States).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
