Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
Playing without Tim Duncan, out with a chest contusion, the San Antonio Spurs visited the Los Angeles Lakers for their first road game of the season. In a rivalry that used to carry Western Conference Finals intensity, this game is really the tale of two tapes.
One one hand, you have the aging Spurs only getting older, destined for a low playoff spot, but looking towards the future, with a gem of a young player in Kawhi Leonard. The Lakers enter the season with an injured Kobe Bryant, who will be missing in action until at least Christmas and folks in LA are still trying to learn the names of the starting five and part of the emerging bench. Who knows if they’ll even make the playoffs.
Tonight’s matchup saw both squads fight tooth and nail down the stretch, with the Spurs ultimately holding off the Lakers 91-85, to give them their second consecutive loss of the season. Tony Parker led all scorers with 24 and Leonard added 15 points in the win.
The young Lakers bench squandered a close lead and made key mistakes in the clutch, that helped the Spurs escape with the victory. Manu Ginobli, who had 20 points, forced a turnover with :20 seconds left in the game, then put the nail in the coffin on the other end of the court, dunking the ball in transition as time expired.
Gasol led the Lakers with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while their bench contributed with 45, led by the efforts of Jodie Meeks (14) and Wesley Johnson (12).