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Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:30 amby KobeMVP888
(37-6)
at 
(9-35)
Friday, January 22, 2015, 7:30 PM PDT
Staples Center, Losa Angeles, CA
Referees: Tom Washington, Nick Buchert, Gediminas Petraitis
Line: Spurs -15.5
GAME PREVIEW: SPURS AT LAKERS
By ALAN FERGUSON, NBA.com
Even with two stalwarts out, the San Antonio Spurs had little difficulty matching a franchise-best start while extending their season-high win streak.
With a highly anticipated game looming, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich could choose to rest some of his players again - or at least go light on the minutes - Friday night against the lowly Los Angeles Lakers.
Tony Parker sat out with a sore right hip and Popovich rested Tim Duncan for Thursday's opener to a three-game trip, which will end with a matchup against league-best Golden State on Monday.
The Spurs easily romped to a 12th consecutive victory, 117-89 over Phoenix, while getting a chance to take it easy on the rest of their roster.
Parker's replacement in the starting lineup, Ray McCallum, was the only player to log more than 25 minutes at 28:42. Kawhi Leonard scored a team-best 21 points in a season-low 22:12 on the same day he earned his first start in an All-Star Game.
"It was just a time for us to really execute our plays and make sure we were in our defensive rotation,'" Leonard said.
The Spurs got 66 points from their bench while matching their 37-6 start in 2010-11. That team lost its 44th game, but this squad has a prime chance to win its 44th when it faces the Western Conference's worst team.
The Spurs are also 7-0 in the second of back-to-back games, the league's only team with a perfect mark.
The Lakers (9-35) endured their eighth loss in nine games Wednesday with a 112-93 defeat to visiting Sacramento. They've been outscored by an average of 20.3 points and outshot 49.0 to 39.8 percent in a string of four consecutive defeats.
"I swear if this was a couple years ago I would say something extremely inappropriate," said Kobe Bryant, who was the leading vote-getter for his final NBA All-Star Game. "You can't be chumps, and nobody in this locker room is a chump to capitulate to that and accept that fact. It's not going to happen, so you just come out and try to improve and work every single game and get better."
The Spurs routed the Lakers 109-87 in the first meeting this season Dec. 11 with LaMarcus Aldridge providing 24 points and 11 rebounds. Patty Mills had a season-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
San Antonio has won 14 of 17 over the Lakers, including a opening-round sweep in the 2013 playoffs. The Spurs have also claimed the past five road matchups including the postseason.
The Lakers have lost five of six at home and Bryant hasn't helped too much lately, averaging 8.0 points on 30.0 percent shooting in the past five overall contests. This matchup with the Spurs falls on the 10th anniversary of his 81-point performance against Toronto.
"It's amazing how time flies," Bryant said. "It's absolutely crazy it was 10 years."
Bryant had 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting against the Spurs in December. Rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell scored what was a career-high 24, later topped by his 27 in a loss in Sacramento on Jan. 7.
http://www.nba.com/games/20160122/SASLAL/gameinfo.html
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:32 amby KobeMVP888
Tim Duncan should also be starting in the All-Star Game. Whether he retires after this season or not is irrelevant. The fans should pay him the same respect they pay Mamba. That's just my opinion.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 7:32 amby Lakers4Life
This could get ugly
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:54 amby lakerevolution
Why "lowly" Los Angeles Lakers though, Alan? Like, we know the science . . jeeez. ANYWAY, the games have to be played and the losses have to pile up and the first off-season without Kobe in 20 years has to manifest itself before we can rise from the ashes of 2012. Respect to the Spurs, whose winning formulas have kept them at or near the top of the West for as long as Kobe has been an All-Star. A remarkable achievement in a conference that is still head-and-shoulders above the East despite LeBron's South Beach vacation.
The focus for the remainder of this season now shifts to who will be with us in PnG this fall and who will serve as leverage to get us the players we need to take things to the next level.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 11:11 amby 3Peatkb24
KobeMVP888 wrote:Tim Duncan should also be starting in the All-Star Game. Whether he retires after this season or not is irrelevant. The fans should pay him the same respect they pay Mamba. That's just my opinion.
I agree. Any time a Top 10 player of all-time is on the verge of possibly retiring they should get an invite. The All-Star game isn't about the best players that are currently playing, it's fans favorite's and who people want to see. Fans vote, Timmy should be there. If you look at any team Timmy would be 1st choice at PF on the all-time 5, if not 2nd choice probably being:
Magic
Jordan
Bird
Duncan or KMalone
Kareem
2nd team as
Oscar
Kobe
LeBron
KMalone or
Duncan
Wilt or Shaq or Russell
-All of the best of the best IMO! by the way 3Peat checking in, this game could get ugly!
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 8:58 pmby KobeMVP888
I'm not saying that the Spurs aren't 1,000,000 times better than us, but they NEVER foul us when we attack the basket? Come on refs.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:06 pmby Julius Russell
We're playing better, we just aren't a good enough shooting team yet.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:09 pmby lakerevolution
Clarkson, Russell and Randle are our core, and keeping them together should be our biggest priority.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:12 pmby 3Peatkb24
Only down 7 so far, 33-26. We are hanging tough but of course that could change LOL. Spurs are more than capable of blowing it open. In other news David Blatt got canned like I predicted he should. I don't think it will make that much of a difference though because I don't care who's Coaching them, they cant beat the Warriors or Spurs.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:41 pmby Julius Russell
Tim ain't Kobe.
Tim has sat out of nationally televised games to rest.
This isn't basketball , this is a popular tv series. Kobe is a true STAR.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:58 pmby 3Peatkb24
56-43 at Half. It wouldn't shock me at all if the Spurs beat the Warriors in the Playoffs. That's a toss up!
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:04 pmby 3Peatkb24
Julius Russell wrote:Tim ain't Kobe.
Tim has sat out of nationally televised games to rest.
This isn't basketball , this is a popular tv series. Kobe is a true STAR.
You are right Tim isn't Kobe. Kobe to me is the better all-time player period but Timmy is still Top 10.
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:06 pmby Lakers4Life
We were only down by 6 a few minutes ago in the 3rd. But turnovers and Spurs bumped it back up to 13
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:11 pmby Lakers4Life
Ginobili is kicking our ass!!
Re: Gm 45: Spurs at Lakers GAME THREAD
Posted:
Fri Jan 22, 2016 10:16 pmby 3Peatkb24
Lakers4Life wrote:Ginobili is kicking our ass!!
They can even rest people and still beat 75% of the teams in the league. Too funny. Yeah we are down 16 now.