Fans Hype Anthony Davis-Victor Wembanyama Duel as Lakers Beat Spurs with LeBron Out

Victor Wembanyama is the future. It just so happens that Anthony Davis is the present.

The Los Angeles Lakers' big man led his team to a 122-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night without LeBron James despite a furious, Wemby-fueled rally by the Spurs in the final minutes.

Davis put up 37 points, 10 rebound and four steals in the win, scoring nine of the team's final 11 points to hold off the Spurs and hand them their 18th straight loss. It was AD's 13th straight double-double.

Wemby countered with 30 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, two steals and two assists. He had 14 points alone in the fourth quarter, helping the Spurs trim an 18-point deficit entering the final frame to just one point with 21 seconds remaining.

But that was as close as they would get, as Davis hit four free throws down the stretch and Taurean Prince added one of his own to seal the victory.

This was 100 percent the AD vs. Wemby show, and NBA fans and pundits alike loved every second of it:

It was quietly a gritty performance from Davis, who appeared to somewhat tweak his ankle in the first minute of the game but was able to push through.

As for the Lakers, they've certainly had an interesting week.

On Saturday, they won the first annual In-Season Tournament over the Indiana Pacers. Then on Tuesday, they ran into the buzzsaw that is Luka Dončić and an unlikely onslaught of threes from Dante Exum in a close loss to the Dallas Mavericks. And heading into Wednesday's game, James was ruled out against the San Antonio Spurs with a left calf contusion.

It appeared the Lakers (15-10) were going to cruise to an easy victory in this one even without James, but Wemby made them work for it. The Spurs (3-20) are having a brutal season, but it's all worth it to watch the big man's progression. He has the look of a future superstar.

But on Wednesday it was the current superstar, AD, who made sure the Lakers got the dub.