The San Antonio Spurs entered tonight’s Thanksgiving duel with the Lakers, who had the best four-game winning streak of the season, their longest winning streak since March 2022. However, they were down early in this game, and that, Although they were able to stay within striking distance for most of the evening, they eventually lost in the fourth period thanks to a balanced performance from the Lakers. Los Angeles tied the game late in the 4th quarter, sending the Spurs on the road with a loss that reset their aforementioned streak count to 0. The Spurs now have a few days off to digest tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner before they hit the road and are back in action on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.

Observations

• Dalton Knecht was targeted more than a few times on defense, but the inexperienced sniper more than made up for it with his shots. Knecht led a balanced Los Angeles attack with 20 points, giving the Lakers a great start and setting the tone for their offense most of the night.
• After playing some impressive games during this winning streak, Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle struggled with their offense in this game. Combined they scored just 30 points tonight, with Wemby’s 20 being his lowest since his 12-point win over the Trailblazers in early November. They had a few highlights, with Wemby making some crazy shots inside and Castle finding and setting up teammates, but it was a poor night compared to what it’s been like lately.
• When I was watching this, it really felt like Lebron James was non-existent on offense for most of the night. But someone looking at the score in hindsight would see that he somehow finished with a triple double, his sixth win of the season and his second in a row against the Spurs. He only scored 16 points, but 8 of those points came in the 4th quarter and helped the Lakers put that point away.
• Devin Vassell made a piece of Spurs history tonight with a 14-point performance off the bench in his return from a knee injury:

• The Lakers had seven players finish in double figures tonight, compared to five for the Spurs. Off the bench, Los Angeles received big contributions from D’Angelo Russell and Max Christie, who scored 29 points. Christie in particular was great in the 3rd quarter, scoring 10 of his 12 points on 4/4. Both stifled more than one Spurs run that threatened to pull them level with the Lakers.
• Julian Champagnie had a good game scoring the ball and had more than enough good shots to slow the momentum the Lakers were trying to build throughout the night. His 18 points are the most he has scored in a game since the 21 he scored in a loss to the Clippers on November 4th.

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