Spurs' path back to winning is crystal clear ahead of Lakers clash

The Spurs haven't been playing their best basketball as of late; it is undeniable. Fresh off a brutal loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Silver and Black have a lot they need to work on. Most importantly, the team needs to capitalize on the Oklahoma City Thunder's slippage and get back to playing championship-quality hoops. Luckily for them, they have a primetime matchup on tap.

In the ESPN spotlight, the Spurs will welcome the Los Angeles Lakers into town as they seek to avenge their previous losses.

The pair most recently played in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, where San Antonio reigned supreme with a 132-119 victory. Prior to the high-stakes battle, the two teams squared off in November, resulting in a two-point Lakers win. Evened out at 1-1, the Spurs will look to take the lead in the season series on Wednesday.

The Spurs must blitz the Lakers at all times

If there were one concrete formula the Spurs used to win basketball games, the film would show they dominate when blitzing the life out of their opponents. This strategy has worked exceptionally well against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and has allowed San Antonio to get where it is today. But, in this matchup, this tactic is all the more important.

So far this season, JJ Redick's squad has struggled to counter aggressive teams. With massive losses to hard-nosed units such as the Rockets, Pistons, and Thunder, it is clear that the Lakers can't handle force. The Spurs must bring all they've got every second of the game.

San Antonio will look to correct previous errors

In previous losses, Mitch Johnson's men haven't been as intrusive as you would like. Giving up a collection of offensive rebounds and allowing teams to overpower them around the rim has been the Spurs' downfall as of late. We know that this team has it in them to be the bigger unit; they just need to act like it. The Lakers provide the perfect opportunity to showcase that.

Furthermore, Los Angeles has no defense. Over the past few weeks, the Lakers have set forth one of the worst defenses in the league, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. The unit has been brutally struggling to get stops, especially in transition. The Spurs must take advantage.

With De'Aaron Fox coming off one of his worst shooting games of the season, the spark-plug scorer will look to exploit the weak Lakers defense. If the Spurs want to succeed, they need production out of their point guard. When the Swipa is running, everything else follows suit.