Lakers take down Spurs for second time in 3 days
Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots past Keldon Johnson #3 of the San Antonio Spurs #3 during first half action at AT&T Center on December 30, 2020 in San Antonio, Texas. Ronald Cortes/Getty Images/AFP
Anthony Davis had 34 points and 11 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the host San Antonio Spurs 109-103 on Friday.
LeBron James had 26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals for the Lakers, who beat the Spurs for the second time in three days. They also earned a 121-107 win at San Antonio on Wednesday behind 26 points from James.
Dennis Schroder added 15 points and Kyle Kuzma contributed 11 for the Lakers. Montrezl Harrell grabbed 11 boards for Los Angeles.
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 26 points, while DeMar DeRozan collected 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Rudy Gay chipped in 15 points, Dejounte Murray scored 12 and Patty Mills scored 10.
A tip-in by Kuzma and a bucket inside by James put the Lakers up 107-103 with 28.6 seconds remaining. After Derrick White misfired on a jumper, Davis sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
Neither team led by more than seven points.
A 16-6 surge early in the third quarter boosted the Spurs to a 73-70 advantage after a 3-pointer by Johnson with 6:47 remaining. The two clubs exchanged leads until a 3-pointer by Gay and a jumper by DeRozan lifted the Spurs to an 85-81 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lakers held a 58-57 edge at the break. Davis led all scorers with 17 points, while James had 15 in the first half.
Los Angeles seized the lead despite shooting just 42.3 percent to 44.2 percent for San Antonio in the first half. Overall, the Lakers shot 40.6 percent and the Spurs hit 42.4 percent of their shots.
Spurs center LaMarcus Aldridge (knee) missed his second consecutive contest.
The Lakers lost guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the third quarter with an ankle sprain. Caldwell-Pope finished with 11 points in 17 minutes.
Lakers reserve guard Alex Caruso, who did not travel with the club, was sidelined for the third straight game reportedly due to health and safety protocols.
