The Los Angeles Lakers started this season 2-10, but they’re starting to come alive. They’ve won five of their last six games, even with LeBron James missing four of them because of a strained adductor.
After getting past the San Antonio Spurs 143-138 on Saturday, James praised his team for its improvement in recent weeks, but he added that there are two areas it still needs to work on.
LeBron on what the Lakers still need to work on: "Transition defense and defensive rebounding."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 27, 2022
Los Angeles had a dazzling offensive performance on Saturday, as it established its season high in points by far, shoting 58.0 percent from the field and going an impressive 51.5 percent from 3-point range.
But it did lose the rebounding battle 47-39 and gave up 39 fast-break points, which helped lead to 66 points in the paint for San Antonio.
James looked very rusty when these two teams faced off on Friday, but on Saturday, he looked more like his old self. He was very efficient, as he made over half of his shot attempts while going 7-of-12 from beyond the arc in a 39-point effort.
The Lakers trailed by double digits in the second quarter, but they took a two-point lead at halftime before extending that lead in the third quarter.
Spurs big man Zach Collins committed a flagrant foul on Russell Westbrook late in the period, which resulted in a brief stoppage, as Westbrook was bleeding, not to mention understandably angry.
But the Lakers kept their cool down the stretch, as Lonnie Walker IV went off to help seal their seventh victory of the season and second away from home.
Anthony Davis missed the contest because of a calf contusion, but Thomas Bryant and Wenyen Gabriel helped fill the void.
The Lakers will return home for games against the Indiana Pacers and Portland Trail Blazers this coming week. But right afterward, they will be tested, as they will head out on a six-game road trip that includes contests against the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
