Game ID: 22300331
Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs
Friday, December 15, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 42 27 29 31 129LAL 22 40 25 28 115
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 12/06 · 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
SAS availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 2 since 12/19, returns tonight: 8 min (61% of 14)
BACK Wesley back 12/15 after 4, 2 min since (16% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 12/19 after 6, 10 min since (83% of 13)
BACK Cissoko back 12/21 after 12, 3 min since (24% of 12)
NEW Branham 21 to 29 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
LAL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Vincent back 12/20 after 23, 14 min since (78% of 18)
NEW Prince 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Reddish 20 to 29 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 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.
12/06 @ 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 129-115 — SAS notes
SAS won 129-115. SAS shot 49% (47 of 95) to LAL's 48%, 18 of 42 from three, and got to the line 19 times to LAL's 28. Vassell led with 36 (12 of 19, 5 of 10 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Johnson added 17, Collins 16. The hinge was Q1, 42-22: from level to 20 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Sochan was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
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.
12/23 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 122, shooting 44 percent and 28 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and Hardaway Jr. at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Irving (7 straight), Green (10 straight), Lively II (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 126, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Vassell at 20 and Johnson at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the arc, San Antonio at 38 percent from three to Dallas's 28 and the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-0 a night and Dallas minus-7. Call it Dallas 119, San Antonio 116, San Antonio keeping it close.
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 115-129 — LAL notes
LAL lost 115-129. LAL shot 48% (43 of 89) to SAS's 49%, 11 of 36 from three, and went to the line 28 times to SAS's 19 — 18 points from the stripe to their 17. James led with 23 (7 of 17, 2 of 6 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Reaves added 22, Hachimura 20. Q2 was theirs, 40-27, the deficit cut from 20 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 102-75 against them. James's -28 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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.
12/23 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 30 and James at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 121, the Lakers 113.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SASCO C. Osman
DG D. Graham
DM D. McDermott
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Branham
SM S. Mamukelashvili
VW V. Wembanyama
WE Wesley
ZC Z. Collins
LALAR A. Reaves
CC C. Castleton
CW C. Wood
DH D. Hodge
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
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
SAN ANTONIO -- — San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama embraced Devin Vassell in a jubilant hug before exhorting the crowd at the Frost Bank Center to rise to their feet in celebration.
If San Antonio’s reaction to a regular-season victory seemed out of place, it’s because the Spurs haven’t had much practice at it this season.
Vassell had a career-high 36 points, Wembanyama had 13 points and 15 rebounds, and the Spurs snapped an 18-game losing skid, defeating the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers 129-115 on Friday night.
“Feels like a playoff game for me,” Wembanyama said. “We love this feeling."
LeBron James had 23 points and 10 rebounds in his return after missing Wednesday’s Lakers game with a bruised left calf.
Anthony Davis sat out with a hip injury after scoring 37 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Lakers’ 122-119 victory over the Spurs on Wednesday. Los Angeles was also without starters D’Angelo Russell (migraine) and Cam Reddish (right knee soreness).
“Our team is not built to have three starters out,” James said, “but you can give credit where credit is due. San Antonio played great tonight. They shot the ball extremely well."
Keldon Johnson had 17 points and Zach Collins added 16 points for the Spurs, who are 4-20.
“This is what I’m addicted to, this is what I love,” Wembanyama said.
The victory was San Antonio’s first since beating Phoenix on Nov. 2. It was the longest losing streak in franchise history, topping the 16-game skid last season.
“It didn’t feel like a normal win,” Vassell said. “You seen people jumping around on the side. I’m trying to stay composed. It’s special. This is a special group, and at the end of the day, I don’t think we would have sat here and been like, ‘We’re going to lose 17, 18 in a row at the start of the season.’”
That skid almost continued despite the Lakers playing their third game in four nights.
The Lakers tried to counter Davis’ absence with a balanced scoring effort. Austin Reaves had 22 points and Rui Hachimura added 20.
San Antonio raced to a double-digit lead four minutes into the game and had a 49-24 lead on Doug McDermott’s 3-pointer three minutes into the second quarter.
That 25-point lead quickly faded as the Lakers went on a 38-17 run early in the second quarter. Christian Wood pushed Wembanyama aside for a layup that cut the Spurs’ lead to 66-62 with 19 seconds left in the first half.
Wood’s dunk capped an 8-0 run 88-80 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
“Tonight, we made shots, but overall, I think the defense was pretty good,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s been pretty good and improved significantly, but offensively we still have a ways to go. But I thought that they competed well. It’s tough to go up 20 against a team that’s run by LeBron on that court since he knows how to manipulate everything and do what has to be done to win a game."
Wembanyama added five assists and two blocks, but failed to get his hands on a 3-pointer by James in a rare one-on-one matchup between the No. 1 picks in 2003 and 2023.
“Just tried to get his hands to go down just a little bit because I know his wingspan,” James said of the shot. “I know he’s able to block shots outside his comfort zone. I just tried to create a little bit more room, shoot a little bit higher and I was able to knock it down.”