James fills the stat sheet and sets tone on defense
tough to beat.”
James scored 21 points and added 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his second straight triple-double. He became the first Laker to have back-to-back triple-doubles since Lamar Odom in 2006.
Davis had 25 points, leading all scorers, and contributed 11 rebounds and four blocks. Avery Bradley was the Lakers’ next-highest scorer with 16 points and made seven of nine field-goal attempts. He left the game during the second half after getting kicked near his knee, but X-rays revealed no fracture. Dwight Howard added 14 points and 13 rebounds and was seven for seven from the field.
The Spurs, meanwhile, shot 39.8% from the field and made only six of 25 three-point tries.
San Antonio scored the game’s first five points. But while past opponents have been quick to put the Lakers in double-digit holes, the Spurs couldn’t and lost the lead.
The Lakers got rolling and built a 19-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Spurs kept hanging around. Dejounte Murray, who led San Antonio with 18 points, made a layup with 4:10 left to tie the score at 90. From there, though, the Lakers pulled away, in part thanks to a 17-foot jumper and a threepointer by Kentavious CaldwellPope.
The Spurs are one of three teams the Lakers have prevented from scoring 100 points early this season. Through six games, the Lakers have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA, only behind the Utah Jazz. Their defensive mentality has been set by Vogel and several players who have been known as defensive standouts in their careers.
James is among them. He is a five-time NBA All-Defensive firstteam player but hasn’t made an All-Defensive team since a secondteam nod for the 2013-14 season.
This season, though, his defense has helped lead the way for the Lakers.
James was asked after Sunday’s game to explain how he succeeds in keeping his defensive engagement high. He attributed his improved defense from last season to this season to being healthy. James said that even when he returned to play last season after missing time with a groin strain, the injury lingered.
“For me, I just take the challenge,” he said. “I love being challenged. Coach challenged me. A.D. challenged me. I challenged myself. I put a lot of hard work into my offseason by getting my quick twitch, getting my bounce back, getting my speed back, my reaction time back [after being injured last year]. My mind has always been there. That’s what it’s all about.”
‘We want to be one of the best defensive teams, if not the best defensive team, in the league.’ — Lakers forward LeBron James