LeBron James opted to sit out the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122-119 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday due to discomfort in his left calf.
This decision followed a 40-minute performance in Monday’s 127-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks during a back-to-back game series. Anthony Davis took center stage, contributing 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals, extending San Antonio’s losing streak to 18 games with his third consecutive game scoring 37 points or more.
Notably, this marked the first instance this season that LeBron James missed the first leg of a back-to-back, having participated in all previous four such situations. It also represented only the second game missed by the veteran player in the current season.
Rui Hachimura filled in for James in the starting lineup, while Davis (left hip) and Jarred Vanderbilt (back spasms) were initially questionable but got the green light to play just before tipoff.
The Lakers built a lead of up to 20 points, but a spirited fourth-quarter performance by the Spurs, led by rookie standout Victor Wembanyama, narrowed the gap. In the closing minutes, Wembanyama’s back-to-back 3-pointers and successful free throws brought the Spurs within a point of the Lakers at 117-116 with 21.2 seconds remaining.
However, Davis secured the win by making four consecutive free throws, despite Wembanyama’s impressive performance of 30 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocks.
“We got to add common sense to our talent,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said after his team barely held on against one of the league’s cellar dwellers. “It’s not so much about who we’re playing, what their record is. It’s about us and the way we want to represent ourselves every time we step out on the floor: trying to get better, trying to build winning habits and be consistent at those winning habits. So, we’re fortunate to get that W.”
After the victory, the Lakers will enjoy a day off on Thursday before facing the Spurs in San Antonio again on Friday.
“Whenever you can get a win in this league against whoever, you have to be thankful,” Ham added. “But that said, there’s a lot of things we can take away that we know good damn well we need to get better at.”
