Lakers vs. Spurs: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

When an unstoppable force meets an easily movable object, destruction often ensues. 

That's what happened Thursday night when the San Antonio Spurs' fourth-ranked offense throttled the Los Angeles Lakers' 29th-ranked defense in a 134-94 win at AT&T Center. 

Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News provided a concise breakdown of just how dominant the home team was: 

Kawhi Leonard fueled the Spurs' effort with 31 points (10-of-13 shooting, 3-of-5 from three), and he was an efficient machine on a night when San Antonio piled up 106 points through three quarters and coasted down the stretch. 

Credit: NBA.com/Stats

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Leonard has already rattled off 10 separate 30-point performances this year after he posted four combined over his first five seasons. 

However, Pounding The Rock's Quixem Ramirez noted Leonard would have had a chance to break new statistical ground if the game had been closer in the fourth quarter: 

Leonard wasn't without help in the blowout, and the performance put forth by former Laker Pau Gasol was worthy of praise.

The Spaniard racked up 22 points on 9-of-9 shooting to go with nine rebounds and six assists. As a result, he joined Steve Francis, Anthony Mason and Draymond Green as the only players to score at least 20 points, dish at least six assists, grab at least nine rebounds and convert 100 percent of their shots in a game since 1983.

ESPN Stats & Info provided a breakdown of what his perfect shooting night looked like: 

Gasol's most emphatic conversion came in the third quarter, when he decided to flash some vintage pep from the perimeter and put the ball on the floor before throwing down an emphatic slam over Thomas Robinson, as the Spurs' official Twitter account documented: 

LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker added 13 points apiece, and that gave the Spurs more than enough juice to romp past a Lakers team that had few sources of consistent offense. 

Julius Randle excelled in the first half when he helped cut the Lakers' double-digit deficit to as few as four points in the second quarter, but reinforcements were few and far between on a night when he notched 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Second-unit staples Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams chimed in with 14 and 10 points, respectively, but all Lakers starters not named Randle combined to score 20 points on a night when L.A. was outclassed from start to finish. 

The Lakers will have a chance to put Thursday's loss behind them when they return to Hollywood for a Saturday matinee against the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the Clippers figure to be in search of redemption after their co-tenants at Staples Center bested them 111-102 on Christmas Day. 

The Spurs will also be back in action Saturday for a showdown against the fledgling Phoenix Suns in a game that should present Gregg Popovich's club with a nice chance to improve to 5-2 in January. 

Postgame Reaction

"Pau was very aggressive," Popovich said, per Orsborn. "Whenever he is that aggressive, it makes us a better team, so it was nice to see."

Back in the locker room, Gasol was surprised to find out how many times he's been perfect from the field with the Spurs, per the San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young: 

"They came out really focused and they already execute really well, but they really executed tonight," Randle said of the Spurs' effort, per Project Spurs' Paul Garcia. 

However, Nick Young (eight points) didn't want to chalk up the loss solely as a product of the Spurs' focus. 

"They’re one of the best teams in the league, but they aren’t supposed to beat us like that," he said, per NBA.com's Joey Ramirez. "They executed and we just gave in."

"It feels like every time other teams start to go on runs now, we get into panic mode and start trying to do things individually," Lakers head coach Luke Walton said, per Ramirez. "And it just piles up on itself."