Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers
Today at 03:00 AM
San Antonio attempts to extend its winning streak to five on second game of a back to back.
The San Antonio Spurs started their four-game winning streak after back-to-back losses to the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. They've done a bulk of their winning at home but face an upcoming road stretch that will test them. They defeated the bottom-dwelling Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City in their first game of the road trip. Now, they'll get to rematch the Lakers in LA on the second game of a back-to-back.
Los Angeles is coming off a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, meaning neither team will be too rested before Wednesday's contest. The Spurs pushed the Lakers to the brink in their matchup but couldn't overcome a triple-double from LeBron James and a 40-point night from Anthony Davis. Victor Wembanyama has played well against LA and is coming off a 34-point night against the Jazz on Tuesday.
The Spurs have been great defensively over the last four games, thanks to energy on the perimeter and Wembanyama's rim protection. San Antonio allows just 109.2 points per game (5th in the NBA) and is 8th in defensive rating (111.2) – they'll need the defense to show up against the Lakers to extend their winning streak to five games.
San Antonio Spurs (10-8) at Los Angeles Lakers(10-7)
November 27th, 2024 | 7:30 PM CT
Watch: FanDuel Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
*NOTE: On a back-to-back, teams must report injury report by 1 p.m. the day of the game
Spurs Injuries: N/A
Lakers Injuries: N/A
What to watch for
Dead legs
Both the Spurs and Lakers will be playing the second game of a back-to-back and traveling to Los Angeles overnight. Luckily for both teams, they were short flights away in Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Both teams played their starters into the fourth quarter as they played important NBA Cup games on Tuesday night. Wednesday's game could be sloppy, with both teams expending so much energy the night before. Whoever can outlast the other may have the advantage.
Can Castle rise to the challenge again?
Stephon Castle has been fantastic since entering the starting lineup. As a starter, Castle is averaging 14.3 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field and 33.3% from deep. He's played a key role in securing wins during the Spurs' streak with his aggressive defense and clutch shot-making. He had a great game in his last matchup with the Lakers, with 22 points and 5 assists while making some huge plays in the fourth quarter. The Spurs will need more of the same from him on Wednesday night.
Slowing down Anthony Davis
The "Brow" had a dominant game against the Spurs in their last matchup. Davis had 40 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks against San Antonio. He mostly took advantage of the backup bigs the Spurs threw at him. Wembanyama is as stout of a matchup as they come, but it'll take more than just him to slow down the Lakers' star big. San Antonio has done a good job pressuring the perimeter, making it hard for bigs to thrive in the pick-and-roll or on the block. It'll take all hands on deck to slow down Davis on Wednesday.
