LeBron James Drops 33 as Anthony Davis, Lakers Beat Spurs for 8th Straight Win
The Los Angeles Lakers continued down their early season path of destruction Monday with a 114-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center.
Los Angeles has now won eight in a row and sits atop the Western Conference standings at 15-2. LeBron James led the way in the team's latest effort, giving the Purple and Gold two wins in San Antonio in the young campaign.
As for the Spurs, they are trending in the opposite direction at 6-12 and are now just 1-9 in their last 10 games.
Notable Player Stats
- LAL F LeBron James: 33 points, 14 assists and three rebounds on 13-of-24 shooting and 4-of-7 from deep
- LAL F Anthony Davis: 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals
- LAL G Rajon Rondo: 13 points, five rebounds and three assists on 5-of-9 shooting and 3-of-3 from deep
- SAS F LaMarcus Aldridge: 30 points and five rebounds on 12-of-22 shooting
- SAS G DeMar DeRozan: 24 points, five assists and four rebounds on 11-of-19 shooting
LeBron, Much-Needed Balance Help Lakers Overcome Quiet AD Performance
The Lakers have been a two-man show all year with a predictable pairing leading the way.
James and Anthony Davis were the only players on the team averaging better than 12.2 points a night entering play, and Kyle Kuzma is their only teammate in double figures. However, the Purple and Gold needed a more balanced attack even though LeBron was his typically brilliant self since Davis was a mere 7-of-19 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range.
Kuzma was aggressive during Davis' scoreless first quarter before Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope found the touch from deep. Even Troy Daniels hit all three of his triples as the other Lakers took advantage of the space created by the attention the two superstars draw.
That was more than enough with James leading the way.
The four-time MVP made the Spurs pay from deep whenever they gave him room on the outside and then had no issue blowing past overmatched defenders for dunks and easy looks if they pressed up on his shot.
He went into facilitator mode at times just for good measure and helped anchor an offensive attack featuring six scorers in double figures to a straightforward victory.
LaMarcus Aldridge Impresses but not Enough to Overcome Poor Defense
Strong play on the defensive side is a major reason the Spurs have made the playoffs 22 consecutive years under head coach Gregg Popovich, but that has been anything but the case in the early going this season.
San Antonio is an ugly 26th in the league in defensive rating, per NBA.com, and has given up triple-digit points in all 18 of its games following Monday's contest. The team is struggling to close out on shooters and cut off penetration, and the inability to string together stops has prevented extended runs during the course of games.
There should have been stretches during Monday's loss where the Spurs built momentum given the way Aldridge played.
He unleashed an array of mid-range shots while generating offense from the elbow and blocks and wasn't afraid to extend his game further from the rim if needed. The Lakers didn't have many answers for him, and his presence is one reason the Spurs were able to stay within striking distance for the majority of the game.
Yet, the defense allowed 32 points in the third quarter while the game was still hanging in the balance and put the home team in comeback mode. The Spurs didn't have the explosiveness or consistent defensive presence to overcome that hole down the stretch even with an impressive showing from the seven-time All-Star.
What's Next?
The Lakers are at the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, while the Spurs host the Minnesota Timberwolves on the same day.
