All eyes will be on Luke Walton before the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs tip off Saturday evening in Texas. Rajon Rondo will be returning from his three-game suspension, and everyone will be wondering what that means for a starting lineup that has won two straight and very easily could be on a three-game winning streak. The last time these two teams played, they went to overtime in what would’ve been a soul-crushing loss no matter how the game ended. San Antonio gave up an eight-point lead with a minute left in regulation, then the Lakers said, “hold my beer” and gave up a late lead in overtime after LeBron James missed two crucial free-throws. Back to the point guards, though. Lonzo Ball has said all the right things regarding who starts, but the more you think about it, the more disappointing it would be if Walton went away from the second-year lead guard, especially after the way he played late in the Lakers’ win against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Elsewhere on the court, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers made any adjustment to their approach to guarding LaMarcus Aldridge, who dominated the last time these two teams met to the tune of 37 points and 10 rebounds on 13-22 shooting. He got JaVale McGee into foul trouble and out-muscled Johnathan Williams, so we’ll see if the Lakers send more help early in this matchup. Almost regardless of how we get there, expect a ton of offense in this one. Both teams are in the bottom portion of the league in defensive rating. The final score from earlier in the week was an insane 143-142, which is high even by overtime standards. Tip-off for this one is 5:30 PM and the game will be televised on Spectrum SportsNet.<doc-sep>The Spurs continue their first road trip of the season with a stop in Tinsel Town to take on the Showtime Lakers Version 2.0. Saturday night the Silver & Black saw their hopes for a road win squashed by the Portland Trail Blazers. Tonight’s match up may offer a little solace. San Antonio Spurs (1-1) at Los Angeles Lakers (0-2) October 22, 2018 | 9:30 PM CT Watch: FSSW, NBATV | Listen: 1200 AM Spurs injuries: Dejounte Murray (knee), Lonnie Walker IV (knee), Derrick White (heel). Lakers injuries suspensions: Brandon Ingram (4 games), Rajon Rondo (3 games). If counting out the Spurs season after season is the industry norm, then giving LeBron James a moratorium on his reign will be the next wave. Or in a SAT question form: Gregg Popovich is to Coach of the Year as LeBron James is to NBA MVP. This year should be no different for King James, except that he has escaped the safety harness of the Eastern Conference and now must make his way through the West. It’s strange to realize that this might be the first year LeBron may not make the finals for nine years. But then again, you can’t count him out. And with the Lakers selling their fans on the resurgence of the Showtime era, that puts even more pressure on James to take this collection “really, they signed that guy?” players to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, the longest absence in the Lakers’ otherwise storied career. An 0-2 start is probably not what Magic Johnson had in mind, but then again, neither was the outcome of the Lakers home opener, and not just in terms of wins and losses. As I predicted, Carmelo Anthony is already a toxic influence on the Rockets, and even though he wasn’t one of the ejected, Melo was still in the mix. The real instigator was Brandon Ingram, though it can be argued that Harden (and his ability to draw questionable fouls) was really the initial cause. If you add the volatile nature of Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul to any tense situation, it’s easy to understand just how this all turned out. Consequently, the Lakers will be missing their starting point guard and power forward, which levels the playing field with the short-handed Spurs roster. Lonzo Ball against Bryn Forbes looks unfair on paper, with the Baller Brand boy much more heralded that the former Michigan Spartan, but Forbes stepped up against the Blazers and maybe it’s not as unbalanced as it seems. Hitting 3s is Bryn’s specialty and if his shot is like it was on Saturday, the Lakers should consider themselves warned. LeBron will do what LeBron does, and strategically speaking, letting him do his thing and cutting everyone else out of the equation means that James tires himself out late in the game. Utilizing that game plan could allow the Spurs to make a final run to beat the Lakers, claiming their first road win since beating James on his previous home court last February. With Ingram suspended, LaMarcus Aldridge has an opportunity to dominate the paint. Against the Timberwolves, he looked great against Karl-Anthony Towns but struggled to score against the Blazers. Look for LMA to get untracked early and establish himself under the basket. LeBron to L.A. always seemed like a bad idea. Why does the best player in on the planet go to a team that didn’t even make the playoffs? This one was not to bring a championship to The Land. This one was for the money, the glory, the fame (not the NBA fame), and the outside opportunities. Los Angeles is all about location, location, location. There was already an undesirable element hovering around this team starting with an oversized paycheck for a declining Kobe Bryant that hindered the idea of the Lakers being a destination which eventually devolved into the circus that is LaVar and his Balls. It didn’t matter to James that he was going to a team without established players, his signing engendered a tailwind of ring-chasing hangers-on. Adding Rondo and Lance Stephenson is the equivalent of going negative during a political campaign. [Editor’s note: a somewhat tortured metaphor, but let’s go with it.] Meanwhile, the Spurs shed their negativity [Editor again: This is not a metaphor, it’s actually quite literal] and picked up a prolific player in DeMar DeRozan. Scoring 28 points in each of the first two games and sealing the game against the Timberwolves by making a clutch bank shot shows exactly how Spursy #10 truly is. You can expect him to take over the game quickly tonight and lead the way throughout. Vegas odds: Lakers by 1.5 Game Prediction: Spurs by 5 For the Laker fans’ perspective, visit Silver Screen and Roll. PtR’s Gamethread will be up this afternoon for those who want to chat through the game. You can also follow along with the action through PtR’s Twitter feed.<doc-sep>Here is what you need to know before the Lakers seek their third straight win. 1) The new guys are making moves The Lakers charge into Texas after securing wins on back-to-back nights over Phoenix and Denver. A trio of first-year veterans were at the forefront of that success. LeBron James, as expected, has been the leader, averaging 25.8 points, 9.2 assists and 8.6 rebounds, while going off for a triple-double against the Nuggets. He has been nigh-unstoppable in the Lakers’ transition attack, with 10 of his 28 points coming on fast-breaks. JaVale McGee has fully embraced his opportunity as the Lakers’ starting center. It had been five yeas since he last scored 20 points in a game, until doing so in Phoenix. And the next night he put up 21, attacking the rim through post-ups, pick-and-rolls and put-backs. But the man of the week has been Lance Stephenson. While his numbers may not be as high as James’ or McGee’s, Stephenson has been electric off the bench for the Lakers. Down by eight with less than six minutes remaining on Thursday, Lance hit back-to-back clutch 3-pointers to spark the comeback over Denver. 2) Point guard is the position to watch Coming off a three-game suspension, Rajon Rondo will be back in action for the Lakers. He performed well in two starts, averaging 13.0 points and 10.5 assists, but it is not yet known if coach Luke Walton will continue to roll with Lonzo Ball, who started both of the Lakers’ victories in Rondo’s absence. Lonzo has provided across the board for the Lakers in three starts, putting up 12.7 points, 6.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals. That last category was his most impactful on Thursday, as he nearly singlehandedly short-circuited Denver’s offense in the fourth quarter. Lonzo Ball made a ton of key defensive plays in that fourth-quarter comeback. Total havoc-creator. pic.twitter.com/IbjOLRaNOH — Joey Ramirez (@JoeyARamirez) October 26, 2018 3) Vengeance is on the menu It’s only been six days since the Lakers last faced the Spurs, and there’s no chance any player on either team has forgotten that bout. A back-and-forth game came down to the final seconds of regulation, when LeBron pulled up for a ridiculously deep 3-pointer to force overtime. The Lakers appeared to have taken control, but San Antonio rallied back in the final minute and completed their comeback on Patty Mills’ game-winning jumper. It was a 143-142 shootout of supreme talent, with LaMarcus Aldridge (37 points, 10 rebounds), DeMar DeRozan (32 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds) and James (32 points, 14 assists, eight rebounds) expectedly taking center stage. Kyle Kuzma also hopped in amongst the stars, dropping 37 points, just one short of his career-high. We’ll see who brings the firepower this time around, in enemy territory. Injury Report Lakers: Brandon Ingram (suspension) is out. Spurs: Dejounte Murray (right ACL), Lonnie Walker IV (right medial meniscus) and Derrick White (left heel pain) are out. Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m. PT TV: Spectrum SportsNet Radio: 710 ESPN and 1330 KWKW Unis: Gold Icon Location: AT&T Center — San Antonio, Texas<doc-sep>
In a rematch of Monday’s marathon nail-biter, the Spurs face off against Lebron James and the Lakers again tonight. The spectacle of King James in the purple and gold is coming to San Antonio this time, with the Spurs sitting at an even 2-2, and the Lakers at 2-3 and looking to build on their 2 game winning streak. October 27th, 2018 | 7:30 PM CT Watch: KENS | Listen: 710 AM ESPN / 1330 AM ESPN DEPORTES Spurs (2-2) vs. Lakers (2-3) Spurs Injuries: Dejounte Murray (knee), Lonnie Walker IV (knee), Derrick White (heel) Lakers Injuries/Suspensions: Brandon Ingram (serving the last game of a 4-game suspension) Showtime The Lakers get out into transition more often than any team in the league. With multiple ballhandlers capable of pushing the pace, and explosive athletes all over the floor, they have the makings of an outstanding transition offense. So far this year that has definitely been the case. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Lakers have started over 22% of their possessions with a transition play, which leads the league, and are 9th in points per 100 plays in transition at 130.1. They turn more than 80% of their steals into transition opportunities, good for 2nd in the league, and almost 44% of their live ball defensive rebounds, which is 1st. The Spurs, meanwhile, are around league average in terms of transition plays allowed, but give up the most points per 100 transition plays, by a lot, at 151.9. Whether the Spurs can slow the Lakers’ transition attack, especially off live rebounds, will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the game. Rotations The Spurs have not even come close to settling into a set rotation, yet. It’s clear that Coach Pop is still figuring out how the new pieces fit together. Between all the turnover and injuries, it’s unreasonable to expect the team to get off to a running start. After Wednesday night’s lineup experimentation in Indiana, it’s possible they’ve learned enough to switch some things up. Free Chimezie, anyone? But it’s more likely this particular matchup will dictate some changes. Dante Cunningham will likely make his way back into the starting lineup after his solid work against the Lakers on Monday. The Spurs may choose to go small for much of the game again when the Lakers have JaVale McGee on the bench. That should mean more minutes for Rudy Gay and Davis Bertans, and less minutes for Pau Gasol and Jakob Poeltl. That may sound like a good thing, but the Spurs lack of depth at guard makes it difficult for them to sustain small ball against a team like the Lakers with so many talented ball handlers and wings. The Lakers, on the other hand, will have Rajon Rondo back from his 3-game suspension, but will still be without Brandon Ingram. That probably means even more small lineups from L.A., and it will be interesting to see how the Spurs respond. Defense? It’s gonna be another high scoring affair. Neither the Spurs nor the Lakers have held an opponent under 108 points in a game yet this season and both have very good offenses. There will be fireworks. Vegas odds: Spurs by 2 Game Prediction: Spurs by 7 For the Lakers fans’ perspective, visit Silver Screen and Roll. PtR’s Gamethread will be up this afternoon for those who want to chat through the game. You can also follow along with the action through PtR’s Twitter feed.