LATE RALLY, LATER SWOON
Winless Lakers force overtime, buckle at finish
SAN ANTONIO 143 LAKERS 142 (OT)
LeBron James looked over to the Lakers bench for just a moment to check for a timeout before the moment was his.
Then he stopped 28 feet away from the basket and made a three-point shot that tied the score at 128-128 with 2.4 seconds to play.
At that moment it hardly mattered what happened at the game’s start. The Lakers’ 18-point deficit in the first quarter. The fact that James made only two of eight shots in the first half, scoring only four points before halftime. The fact that the Lakers were without two starters who had been suspended a day before.
At that moment James served as the Lakers’ closer.
But James’ brilliance late in regu-
lation didn’t transfer to overtime. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Lakers 143-142 at Staples Center, dropping the Lakers to 0-3.
Reminded that he hadn’t started 0-3 since early in his career, James interjected.
“Since my rookie year,” he said, nodding. “I know what I got myself into. It’s a process. I get it. We’ll be fine. I didn’t come here thinking we were going to be blazing storms right out the gate. It’s a process, I understand that. The game is frustrating not to get the win but I’ve showered and I’m good now.”
James missed two free throws with the Lakers leading by one point with 11.2 seconds left in overtime. Patty Mills hit a long two-pointer with 6.8 seconds left to give the Spurs the game’s final lead. James took a shot that would have won the game, but it fell short.
“We had our chances,” James said. “I mean, up six with a minute to go. Less than a minute to go. Just couldn’t get a stop. We had a turnover in that minute, Rudy hit a big shot from down one, I miss two free throws, which is unacceptable. They made a shot and missed a shot.”
James finished with 32 points on 11-for-25 shooting, nine for 17 in the second half. Kyle Kuzma, back in the starting lineup for the first time since last season, scored 37 points, one shy of his career high. He made 15 of 25 shots. Josh Hart had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Hart’s shooting helped the Lakers stay close with the Spurs and his toughness gave them a chance late.
Late in overtime, Hart caught a rebound and fought to keep it inbounds, dribbling low, then clutching the ball with both hands to keep it away from two Spurs attempting to trap him. He tossed the ball ahead past half-court hoping a teammate would be there to get it. Lonzo Ball leaped into the air as he fell out of bounds. He crashed into Lakers coach Luke Walton, but before he did he f lipped the ball back to James.
This loss comes after the Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets.
San Antonio was led by center LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 37 points with 10 rebounds. Newcomer DeMar DeRozan, acquired from the Toronto Raptors last summer in a trade for Kawhi Leonard, scored 32 points with 14 assists and eight rebounds.
With Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram suspended, the Lakers swapped in Ball at point guard and Kuzma at small forward in the starting lineup.
Ball had been the Lakers starter throughout last season and Kuzma became a starter late in the season.
The absence of two starters altered the Lakers rotation in other ways too. Given San Antonio’s size, the Lakers opted to activate Johnathan Williams, an undrafted rookie from Gonzaga, and played him 14 minutes. He scored eight points with four rebounds and added energy to the Lakers lineup.
The Lakers trailed for most of the game, until Hart hit a three-pointer to tie the score in the fourth quarter.
Late in the final period, the Lakers trailed by six when Aldridge grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession.
With the second one, Aldridge scored to give the Spurs an eight-point cushion with 1:10 left in regulation.
But the Lakers didn’t concede. That’s one of the small gains they’ll enjoy for now.
LeBron scares Pop
On Monday morning James was asked about how the Spurs had changed.
“Pop’s still there, ain’t he?” he said of coach Gregg Popovich. “They’re not different at all.”
Popovich is used to seeing James only twice a season unless their teams meet in the Finals.
Now with James in the West, he’ll see him at least four times. That’s OK with Popovich, but he could’ve done without one big reminder overnight.
The window of his hotel lroom looked out over a large James billboard.
“It was horrifying seeing LeBron’s face outside my hotel room,” Popovich said. “... He’s already big and now he’s monstrous. I was scared to death.”