Los Angeles Lakers win the second of back-to-back against Spurs

SAN ANTONIO, TX - JANUARY 1: Drew Eubanks #14 of the San Antonio Spurs fights for a rebound with Marc Gasol #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during first half action at AT&T Center on January 1 , 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JANUARY 1: Drew Eubanks #14 of the San Antonio Spurs fights for a rebound with Marc Gasol #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers during first half action at AT&T Center on January 1 , 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers took two games in a row against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Los Angeles Lakers played the second of a back to back against the San Antonio Spurs. It was a carbon copy of the first game except for a couple of things. One, the Spurs actually hit layups in this game and two, Anthony Davis was aggressive.

Lake Show Life has been on record numerous times stating that Anthony Davis needs to be aggressive for the Los Angeles Lakers to be successful. Frank Vogel is still asking the big man to shoot more 3 point shots.

Well, this website and Frank Vogel will go to bed happy tonight because he did both in spades. When the Spurs had a possible upset working, AD dominated to deliver the Lake Show’s second straight road win with a 109-103 victory.

This report is all about the last three minutes of the game.

  • Davis knocks down his fourth 3 pointer of the night from the left wing to tie the game at 103.
  • Then he helped on the defensive end forcing stops on the next two possessions on the Spurs end.
  • LeBron drives to the basket and Kyle Kuzma tips-in miss.
  • LeBron James runs Derrick White over in the post and finishes with a grown man layup.

Look, these games are ugly. Real ugly. But the Lakers are winning on the road and that is all that matters. The Lakers to 4-2 on the season and riding a two-game winning streak.

The Good:

Every time Anthony Davis sees Jakob Poetl on a basketball court it seems he is thinking barbecued chicken. Every time Jakob Poetl sees AD, he should run. Davis destroyed Poetl every time they matched up. AD is not back to where he was before the injury, but he is finding ways to work through the injury.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1345202366195269632

He is no longer a problem for the NBA, he is an issue. Problems can be solved. Davis scored probably the smoothest 34 points in history with 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The most impressive stat? 7 offensive rebounds. Think about what could have happened if he was healthy?

LeBron James finished with a triple-double of 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. But the most important aspect of LeBron’s performance was after Schroder took an ill-advised 3 point shot, LeBron made sure that either he or Anthony Davis got the ball in the post in crunch time. That usage of basketball I.Q. led to a 9-0 Lakers run to finish the game out.

LeBron James has found the balance of putting up numbers without overworking himself over the long season.

The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the Spurs on the offensive glass. AD led the assault on the offensive glass to the tune of 16 rebounds. That is a ton.

The Bad:

This drives basketball players on any level nuts. Kentavious Caldwell Pope had a great start to the season and was playing well in this game. Soon after he put the Spurs franchise on a poster.

KCP sprained his ankle. Hopefully, he gets back soon because his great production was under the radar. He is a vital part of the Lakers’ offense. He was red hot from the 3 point line knocking down shots from the right corner. He finished with 11 points before the injury.

Keldon Johnson gave the Lakers the business putting up a stat line of scoring a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds. This was not about talent. Johnson outworked the Lake Show with hustle and execution. The other night it was Dejounte Murray achieving his career-high in scoring with 29. This is a trend that the Lakers need to look at seriously going forward.

What does this all mean?

The transition and interior defense for the Lakers are getting worse by the game. The only difference between the previous game and this one is that the San Antonio Spurs actually made the layups the blew the other night.

The Story:

The Los Angeles Lakers could have easily lost this game. It took a monster game from Anthony Davis to survive. It’s going to take a while before the center position can be taken care of. But until then, the coaching staff might have to start attaching playing time to players that will compete on the defensive end.

The message needs to be clear that defense needs to be a priority. They can get away with games like this against teams with no superstars but they are vulnerable going forward.

Get better KCP!

Lake Show Life’s more in-depth breakdowns will come in Lake Show Life Lessons tomorrow. Keep it locked for the only Los Angeles Lakers post-game report with highlights and in-depth analysis.