SAN ANTONIO — After running the table in last year’s In-Season Tournament en route to winning the inaugural NBA Cup, the Lakers got off to a strong start in their request to claim back-to-back trophies.
Anthony Davis had a season-high 40 points and LeBron James recorded his fourth consecutive triple-double as the Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 120-115, on Friday night at Frost Bank Center in their first NBA Cup Group Play game.
Davis shot 14 for 26 from the field (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and went 10 for 12 from the free-throw line to go with 12 rebounds, two blocked shots and two assists – the second one leading to a James layup that gave the Lakers a 118-115 lead with 25 seconds left.
James, who finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists, made a pair of free throws with 11 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Lakers (8-4).
James’ triple-double streak is the longest of his Hall of Fame career.
Austin Reaves added 19 points, six assists and three rebounds, knocking down a 3-pointer with 1:59 remaining to give the Lakers a 114-113 lead during a back-and-forth finish.
The Lakers got off to a slow start, allowing the Spurs to score nine unanswered points to open the game as part of a 18-6 run in the first 5½ minutes.
Davis, averaging a career-high 31.1 points, stepped up his play from there. He scored 14 of his 16 first-quarter points in the final 7:07 of the period to help the Lakers grab a 31-30 lead going into the second.
Max Christie, who was back in the rotation for the first time in more than a week, D’Angelo Russell and Gabe Vincent provided the Lakers with a boost off the bench.
Christie finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting to go with a pair of steals. Russell had 13 points, six assists and three steals, while Vincent had six points and three steals.
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Rookie wing Dalton Knecht started in place of forward Rui Hachimura, who was sidelined because of a sprained right ankle, and finished with 14 points.
Spurs second-year star Victor Wembanyama had 28 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocked shots, but the Lakers defended the 7-foot-3 Frenchman better as the game wore on after he scored nine points in the first quarter. Wembanyama was coming off a career-best 50-point game on Wednesday.
The Lakers will travel to New Orleans for a matchup against the Pelicans on Saturday night.
More to come on this story.