Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers

The San Antonio Spurs started their four-game winning streak after back-to-back losses to Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, they have defended their home court against some of the best in the NBA, including the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors. Now they will get to rematch the Lakers at the Frost Bank Center

Los Angeles is coming off another blowout loss Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, meaning neither team will be too rested before Wednesday’s contest. The Spurs pushed the Lakers to the brink in their matchup, but couldn’t overcome a triple-double from LeBron James and a 40-point night from Anthony Davis. Victor Wembanyama has played well against LA and is coming off a 34-point night against the Jazz on Tuesday.

The Spurs have been terrific defensively in the last four games, thanks to energy on the perimeter and Wembanyama’s rim protection. San Antonio is allowing just 109.2 points per game. game (5th in the NBA) and is 8th in defensive rating (111.2) – they need the defense to show up against the Lakers to extend their winning streak to five games.

November 27, 2024 | 7:30 p.m. CT

See: FanDuel Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

*NOTE: On a back-to-back, teams must report injury report no later than 13.00 on the day of the game

Spurs injuries: Devin Vassell – Probable (knee), Jeremy Sochan – Out (thumb), Riley Minix – Out (G League), Keldon Johnson – Probable (hamstring), Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), David Duke Jr. – Away (G) League)

Lakers injuries: Anthony Davis – Probable (foot), Jaxson Hayes – Doubtful (ankle), Jalen Hood-Schifino – Out (G League), Bronny James – Out (G League), Dalton Knecht – Questionable (quad), Cam Reddish – Questionable (ankle ) ), Jarred Vanderbilt – Out (foot), Christian Wood – Out (knee)

What to watch out for

Dead legs

Both the Spurs and Lakers play the second game of a back-to-back and travel to San Antonio overnight. Both teams played their starters into the fourth quarter as they played key NBA Cup games Tuesday night. Wednesday’s game could be sloppy with both teams expending so much energy the night before. Whoever can survive the other can have the advantage.

Can Castle rise to the challenge again?

Stephon Castle has been fantastic since entering the starting lineup. As a starter, Castle is averaging 14.3 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field and 33.3% from deep. He has played a key role in securing wins during Spurs’ streak with his aggressive defense and tackling. He had a great game in his last game with the Lakers, posting 22 points and 5 assists while making some big plays in the fourth quarter. The Spurs will need more of the same from him on Wednesday night.

Slow down for Anthony Davis

The “Brow” had a dominant game against the Spurs in their last matchup. Davis had 40 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks against San Antonio. He mostly took advantage of the big backups the Spurs threw at him. Wembanyama is as strong as they come, but it will take more than just him to slow down the Lakers’ big star. San Antonio has done a good job of pressuring the perimeter, making it difficult for bigs to thrive in the pick-and-roll or on the block. It will take all hands on deck to slow Davis down on Wednesday.