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Following yet another sweep at the hands of Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers shook things up yet again during the off-season and have once again been a focus of the national NBA narrative. They dismissed head coach Darvin Ham after two seasons at the helm and replaced him with notorious NBA podcaster JJ Reddick, with the idea being that Reddick would finally be the one to unlock the full potential of the Lebron James – Anthony Davis duo that has been together for 5 years at this point. So far the results have been a mixed bag: The offense, which was criticized as lacking much imagination under Ham, has drawn rave early season reviews, ranking 6th in offensive efficiency. James has largely been his usual self, even as he approaches age 40, but questions about the supporting cast continue to linger, and with the oft-injured Davis coming into the season already nursing a foot injury (plantar fasciitis), how far the Lakers go will once again rest entirely on James’ shoulders.
Tonight for the San Antonio Spurs marks the end of a 5-game home-stand that has been largely successful, especially given the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate health situation of head coach Gregg Popovich. Devin Vassell is back and looking like the Vassell of old, while Victor Wembanyama has seemingly flipped the switch and is looking like he’s gotten back to his Olympic form. As it stands, they’re 3-1, picking up two wins against teams in a similar boat as themselves and 1 against a Sacramento Kings team that won 46 games last season. A win against Lebron and the Lakers would really put an exclamation point on this home-stand and could set the tone for the rest of November.
San Antonio Spurs (6-6) vs Los Angeles Lakers (7-4)
November 14th 2024 | 6:30 PM CT
Watch: ESPN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Tre Jones, ankle (OUT), Jeremy Sochan, thumb (OUT),
Lakers Injuries: Rui Hachimura, ankle (day to day), Anthony Davis, plantar fasciitis (probable), Jalen Hood-Schifino, groin (OUT)
What to watch for
- Tonight is the first game for both the Spurs and Lakers of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, the NBA’s 2nd in-season tournament. Group Play consists of 4 total games for every team, with only 8 teams advancing to the Knockout Round.
- Regardless of how one feels about him, there’s no denying that what Lebron James is doing a few weeks before his 40th birthday is anything other than amazing. 22 years into a rich and storied career, James may not be the athletic dynamo he once was, but his performance on the court is still a key part of the national conversation around the NBA. He’s coming off a 35 point, 12 rebound, 14 assist game in a win against the Memphis Grizzlies, his third straight game with a triple-double.
- Victor Wembanyama has been on an absolute tear these last few games, with the 50 point special that he put up against the Washington Wizards being the obvious high point. Wemby has made his living largely on the perimeter and from beyond the arc in particular, as he’s made at least six 3s in each of the Spurs’ last three games. His match-up tonight with Anthony Davis will be the final and staunchest test of this home-stand as far as individual match-ups go.
- Los Angeles rookie Dalton Knecht notched a season/career-high 19 points in the Lakers win against Memphis on Wednesday, going 5/5 from 3.
- Spurs rookie Stephon Castle has scored in double digits in each of his last 4 games while also cracking the 25 minute mark every game since he was inserted into the starting line-up following the injury to Jeremy Sochan. The young Castle plays with a pace, competitiveness, and focus that is far beyond his years, and being thrown to the fire hasn’t seemed to rattle him one bit.
- This season, the Lakers are 6-0 at home, yet just 1-4 on the road. The Spurs meanwhile are 5-2 at home.
For the Laker fan’s perspective, please visit Silver Screen and Roll.
If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!
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