Game ID: 22300316
Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 26 24 24 45 119LAL 34 29 29 30 122
LAL @ SAS ScoutingLAL @ SAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
SAS availability going into 12/01 · back-to-backOUT Wesley missed 6 since 11/18, returns tonight: 3 min (19% of 14)
OUT Barlow missed 3 since 11/24, returns tonight: 3 min (22% of 13)
OUT Cissoko missed 4 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (81% of 33)
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 18 min since (93% of 20)
BACK Graham back 11/26 after 5, 6 min since (48% of 14)
NEW Collins 22 to 28 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/06 · 4 days' restOUT McDermott missed 2 since 11/30, returns tonight: 22 min (145% of 15)
OUT Graham missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 5 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 11/22 after 3, 27 min since (81% of 33)
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 20 min since (99% of 20)
BACK Wesley back 12/01 after 6, 3 min since (19% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 12/01 after 3, 3 min since (22% of 13)
NEW Collins 22 to 27 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 6 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 16 min since (79% of 20)
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 22 min since (145% of 15)
BACK Wesley back 12/01 after 6, 3 min since (19% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 12/01 after 3, 3 min since (22% of 13)
NEW Collins 22 to 27 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Wesley missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 7 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Bassey missed 2 since 12/06, not on tonight's roster
BACK Champagnie back 11/26 after 2, 14 min since (69% of 20)
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 18 min since (121% of 15)
SAS availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Wesley missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 8 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 17 min since (114% of 15)
SAS availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Wesley missed 4 since 12/06, returns tonight: 2 min (12% of 14)
OUT Graham missed 6 since 11/30, returns tonight: 10 min (71% of 14)
OUT Barlow missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 9 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 17 min since (110% of 15)
SAS availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Barlow missed 5 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 10 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 12/06 after 2, 17 min since (111% of 15)
BACK Wesley back 12/15 after 4, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Graham back 12/15 after 6, 10 min since (71% of 14)
SAS availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Barlow missed 6 since 12/06, returns tonight: 10 min (83% of 13)
OUT Cissoko missed 11 since 11/22, out tonight
BACK Wesley back 12/15 after 4, 2 min since (12% of 14)
BACK Graham back 12/15 after 6, 8 min since (61% of 14)
NEW Branham 21 to 30 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Wesley missed 2 since 12/17, returns tonight: 3 min (19% of 14)
OUT Cissoko missed 12 since 11/22, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 12)
BACK Graham back 12/15 after 6, 8 min since (61% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 12/19 after 6, 10 min since (83% of 13)
NEW Branham 21 to 30 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 7 since 11/19, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 20)
OUT Vincent missed 16 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 20 min since (95% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 25 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/05 · 2 days' restOUT Hachimura missed 5 since 11/25, returns tonight: 21 min (79% of 27)
OUT Vincent missed 17 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (68% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 18 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 25 min since (120% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/12 · 4 days' restOUT Vincent missed 19 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 24 min since (119% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 19 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/13 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 20 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 21 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 15 min since (75% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/18 · 2 days' restOUT Vincent missed 22 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 26 min since (96% of 27)
LAL availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 23 since 11/01, returns tonight: 14 min (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 33 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 26 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 17 and Johnson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 26 a game. Without Vincent (20 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Lakers 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/01 @ NOP 106-121 — SAS notes
SAS lost 106-121. SAS shot 46% (38 of 83) to NOP's 49%, 16 of 39 from three, and got to the line 17 times to NOP's 29. SAS turned it over 19 times to NOP's 11, and NOP turned those into 8 steals. Vassell led with 14 (5 of 12, 2 of 7 from three); Sochan added 13, Collins 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-32, but the other 3 periods went 89-75 against them. Collins's -18 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/06 @ MIN 94-102 — SAS notes
SAS lost 94-102. SAS took 14 more shots (101 to 87), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 38% to MIN's 41%, 8 of 36 from three, and got to the line 15 times to MIN's 21. Vassell led with 22 (9 of 16, 4 of 8 from three); Johnson added 21, Wembanyama 12. Q2 was theirs, 31-21, turning a 3-point deficit into a 7-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 81-63 against them.
12/08 vs CHI 112-121 — SAS notes
SAS lost 112-121. SAS shot 47% (39 of 83) to CHI's 46%, 17 of 42 from three. SAS turned it over 12 times to CHI's 7, and CHI turned those into 9 steals. The glass went 44-56 against them. Wembanyama led with 21 (8 of 20, 0 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Johnson added 20, Jones 18. Q1 was theirs, 33-24, but the other 3 periods went 97-79 against them. They led by as many as 13. Wembanyama's -22 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/11 @ HOU 82-93 — SAS notes
SAS lost 82-93. SAS shot 36% (31 of 87) to HOU's 34%, 5 of 41 from three. Wembanyama led with 15 (7 of 15, 1 of 6 from three); Vassell added 14, Branham 13. Q1 was theirs, 21-19, but the other 3 periods went 74-61 against them. Johnson's -18 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 vs LAL 119-122 — SAS notes
SAS lost 119-122. SAS shot 47% (45 of 96) to LAL's 54%, 16 of 37 from three. Wembanyama led with 30 (11 of 21, 4 of 5 from three, 4 of 7 at the line); Johnson added 28, Branham 19. Q4 was theirs, 45-30, the deficit cut from 18 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 92-74 against them.
12/15 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Johnson at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 28 a game. Without Vincent (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and San Antonio minus-6 and the arc, the Lakers at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 32. Call it the Lakers 116, San Antonio 109.
12/17 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Vassell at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 29 free throws a game; Ingram at 21 and Williamson at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Nance Jr. (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 29 free throws a game to San Antonio's 19 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-5. Call it New Orleans 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/19 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 35 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 36 and Lillard at 26 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Beasley (2 straight), Crowder (17 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 119, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 19 and Johnson at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the line, where Milwaukee takes 35 free throws a game to San Antonio's 20 and the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-6. Call it Milwaukee 126, San Antonio 115, Milwaukee by 11.
12/21 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; White at 23 and DeRozan at 21 a game. Without LaVine (10 straight), Craig (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Wembanyama at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the arc, Chicago at 41 percent from three to San Antonio's 33 and the defense, Chicago allowing 112 a night to San Antonio's 122. Call it Chicago 118, San Antonio 111.
12/02 vs HOU 107-97 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-97. LAL shot 45% (40 of 89) to HOU's 40%, 8 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to HOU's 18 — 19 points from the stripe to their 14. LAL turned it over 9 times to HOU's 16. Davis led with 27 (10 of 22, 7 of 9 at the line); Reaves added 18, James 16. The hinge was Q2, 35-14: LAL came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 19. Christie was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/05 vs PHX 106-103 — LAL notes
LAL won 106-103. LAL shot 37% (38 of 102) to PHX's 49%, 9 of 30 from three. LAL turned it over 9 times to PHX's 20. James led with 31 (12 of 25, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Davis added 27, Reaves 20. The hinge was Q1, 33-23: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Reaves was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/07 vs NOP 133-89 — LAL notes
LAL won 133-89. LAL shot 55% (47 of 86) to NOP's 36%, 17 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to NOP's 20 — 22 points from the stripe to their 14. The glass went 59-42 for them. James led with 30 (9 of 12, 4 of 4 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Reaves added 17, Davis 16. The hinge was Q3, 43-17: a lead of 13 became 39, and the lead reached 44. James was the night's best plus/minus at +36.
12/12 @ DAL 125-127 — LAL notes
LAL lost 125-127. LAL shot 54% (49 of 91) to DAL's 49%, 15 of 29 from three. LAL turned it over 15 times to DAL's 10. Davis led with 37 (15 of 21, 6 of 10 at the line); James added 33, Reaves 22. Q3 was theirs, 34-22, turning a 10-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 105-91 against them. Reddish's -10 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/13 @ SAS 122-119 — LAL notes
LAL won 122-119. LAL shot 54% (49 of 91) to SAS's 47%, 14 of 35 from three. Davis led with 37 (13 of 23, 2 of 3 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Prince added 17, Reaves 15. The hinge was Q1, 34-26: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Hachimura was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/15 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Johnson at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 28 a game. Without Vincent (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and San Antonio minus-6 and the arc, the Lakers at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 32. Call it the Lakers 116, San Antonio 109.
12/18 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 29 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (22 straight). 2 days' rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 129, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brunson at 28 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Lakers allowing 113 a night to New York's 129. Call it the Lakers 120, New York 116, New York keeping it close.
12/20 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; White at 26 and DeRozan at 24 a game. Without LaVine (9 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 28 a game. Without Vincent (23 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Chicago 116, the Lakers 115, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/21 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Towns at 24 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 123, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Davis at 31 and James at 26 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 43 percent from three to the Lakers' 37 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-3 a night and the Lakers minus-3. Call it Minnesota 118, the Lakers 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SASCO C. Osman
DM D. McDermott
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Branham
TJ T. Jones
VW V. Wembanyama
ZC Z. Collins
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CR C. Reddish
CW C. Wood
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
SAS/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Davis helps Lakers overcome James' absence, send Spurs to 18th straight loss
SAN ANTONIO -- — Anthony Davis had 37 points and 10 rebound and the Los Angeles Lakers held off Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio 122-119 on Wednesday night, extending the Spurs’ franchise-record losing streak to 18.
Wembanyama had 30 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for San Antonio, which has not won since Nov. 2. Wembanyama is the first rookie with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks in a game since Spurs superstar Tim Duncan in 1998.
“I think it’s going to look better when we win,” Wembanyama said.
The Lakers were without LeBron James , with the four-time MVP sitting out the first of two straight games in San Antonio because of left calf injury. The teams will meet again Friday night.
The Lakers almost lost Davis, too, in the opening seconds when he rolled his left ankle following a spin move against Wembanyama. Davis refused to exit, even on the second night of a back-to-back for Los Angeles.
“Giving my team a chance to win,” Davis said. “I know when I’m on the floor playing, my team has a higher chance of winning than me being out because of my presence defensively and my presence offensively. We’re trying to win basketball games.”
The Spurs nearly took one away from the NBA In-Season Tournament champion Lakers. San Antonio outscored Los Angeles 45-30 in the final quarter.
After the Spurs trailed by 20 points early in the fourth quarter, Wembanyama’s 3-pointer over Davis cut the Lakers’ lead to 115-110 with 1:29 remaining. Wembanyama made one of two free throws to cut it to 117-116 with 22 seconds remaining.
“(Wembanyama) doesn’t stop competing,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “When the game was hanging in the balance, he made some big plays for them.”
Wembanyama fouled out for the first time in his career after sticking his leg out on a missed 3-pointer with 8.8 seconds remaining and the Lakers up 119-116.
“I don’t think it comes down to set play or tactics or nothing,” Wembanyama said. “I think it’s like playing hard and playing smart. In the first half, we had neither of those. At least if we’re not making shots or if we can’t get to the basket on offense, we need to get stops.”
Keldon Johnson added 28 points, and Malaki Branham had 16 for the Spurs.
Taurean Prince added 17 points to help the Lakers win for the fifth time in six games. Austin Reaves had 15 points, and D’Angelo Russell had 12 points and 10 assists.
“Once the momentum got on their side, it seemed like they rolled it to the very end,” Ham said. “But we hung in there. We gutted it out. Obviously, we are comfortable with the result, with the ‘W,’ but we’ve definitely got to get better at some things, and we will.”
Davis rolled his left ankle on the Lakers’ opening possession, writhing in pain on the baseline after missing an attempted layup against Wembanyama. The Lakers quickly called a timeout to check on Davis, who used the break to stretch and run to loosen up the injury.
Davis shot 10 for 15 from the field in scoring 24 points in the first half. His points included bullying Wembanyama out of position under the rim to clear space for a monstrous, one-handed dunk on the rookie with 3:57 remaining in the first half.
“We were sloppy and tried to do things quickly,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “We did nothing the basketball gods would be happy about (in the first half). In the second half, they competed and executed to win. I’m glad about that. I want to see how it carries over to Friday.”
Wembanyama would get some payback in the final minute, spinning away from Davis under the rim for a one-handed slam. The No. 1 pick out of France had two blocks and two dunks in the final 45 seconds of the first half.