Spurs vs. Lakers recap, reactions: Lakers’ youth too much for injured Spurs

The Spurs faced the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night in Hollywood. How did things go down in this game?

Fresh off of a 107-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs faced their second California opponent this week in Lonzo Ball and the new-look Lakers. Los Angeles entered the Thursday night tilt coming off of back-to-back home wins over the Kings and Atlanta Hawks. San Antonio would once again face an opponent with a long list of injuries as Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Rudy Gay and Danny Green were all unable to play.

Both teams missed shots early and neither could seize control. The Lakers jumped out to a five-point lead, but the Spurs fought back. Bryn Forbes buried his first shot and scored on a layup after jumping in the passing lane to steal the ball from Lonzo Ball. Thanks to some inside scoring from LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio took the lead for the first time at just over the three minute mark. The Lakers would tie it back up thanks to a three-pointer from Brandon Ingram. The Spurs’ shooting would go cold for the rest of the quarter and at the end of the opening period Los Angeles led by five.

The turnovers continued to pile up for the Spurs and and the Lakers’ lead grew to 12 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half. Los Angeles got on a 15-0 run at one point until San Antonio registered their first field goal of the quarter at 8:56 when Manu Ginobili scored on an and-one layup. The Lakers led by 19 midway through the period, but the Spurs managed to narrow the gap to just six. However, spurred by Ball and Ingram, Los Angeles led by 11 at halftime.

Thanks to some early Laker turnovers, San Antonio cut the deficit to just three in the first two minutes of the third quarter. The Spurs finally took the lead back when Forbes hit his second three-pointer of the game on a 15-3 run. Los Angeles would take the lead back yet again on a three from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Lakers would go on a 16-9 run of their own to propel them to a six-point lead heading into the final quarter.

The Spurs continued to keep pace at the start of the fourth, but after two big dunks, Los Angeles seized momentum.  Ball and Ingram continued their excellent shooting nights and the Lakers came out on top 93-81, winning their third-consecutive game. San Antonio’s 20 turnovers, stagnant offense and numerous injuries left them with no answers.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the team in scoring with 20 points, shooting 40 percent from the field. Bryn Forbes also had one of his best games of the season with 18 points on 58.3 percent shooting. For the Lakers, Brandon Ingram led the way with 26 points, shooting 52.4 percent while Lonzo Ball had 18 points on 63.6 percent shooting.

Next: 50 greatest super heroes in comic book history

The Spurs will look to rebound from this loss on Sunday when they face the Denver Nuggets back home at 7:30 p.m. CST.