Anthony Davis appears on the Lakers injury report before the Spurs game

On By Littum

The Lakers are coming to town, and while the rivalry doesn’t have the same feel it used to during the Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant days, beating the Purple and Gold still means something. Los Angeles is on a three-game winning streak with a 7-4 record, while the San Antonio Spurs are coming off two straight wins with a 6-6 record.

Tonight is the first game for both teams in the Emirates NBA Cup. Each team must play each other once before the results are tallied, and those with the best records advance to the knockout round. Bragging rights are at stake and Spurs will not be at full strength as they continue wait for Tre Jones and Jeremy Sochans returns, but neither will the Lakers.

Victor Wembanyama is ready to go. He has been on a tear defensively since the start of the season, but now his offense has caught up. Over the last three games, Wemby is averaging 36 points per game. game at 59.1 FG% and 54.1% from three while casually adding 12 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 4.3 blocks to his stat line.

The Lakers won two of the last three head-to-head games with the Silver and Black in the 2023-24 season, but this is a completely different team. Whether Anthony Davis plays or not, it won’t be easy for LA to impose their will on both sides of the ball. But he has played in all but one game this season, so expect AD in the lineup.

Admittedly, attack would be more of an issue for them if Sochan played, but SA have improved their defense nonetheless. They’ve rotated more consistently and trusted each other to be in the right spots, and it’s paid off for one of the youngest teams in the league.

It is also important to respect your opponent. LeBron James is in his 21st season and he’s still going strong. James had a 35-point triple-double Wednesday in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis is averaging 30 points so far this season. He has been as aggressive as ever under rookie head coach JJ Redick.

Mitch Johnson will have his hands full with the schemes Redick will throw at the Spurs to make his guys look good. He has proven to be sufficient with a clipboard.

This is one of those games where Chris Paul’s expertise will be needed. He has seen almost every coverage you could think of and his guidance will be vital to victory. If San Antonio can keep their turnovers down again and play Spurs basketball on both ends of the floor, they will start the tournament with a bang by knocking off AD and King James.