The Spurs recovered strongly, taking a 87-80 lead into the final period. It helped their odds tremendously to see Steven Adams foul out before the end of the 3rd Quarter, harassed ruthlessly by the driving tenacity of Dejounte Murray (25 points, 2 steals, 10-12 FTs) & Brandon Ingram (28 points, 10-10 FTs). Adams fouled out with 4 points, 2 rebounds, unable to contend with Andre Drummond's 18 rebounds (9 points, 1 block, 1 steal). Fred VanVleet had 16 points, scoring 9 of them in the 1st Quarter to give the Spurs a 29-25 early advantage. He would go 4-9 from long range, overall. KCP hit 4 threes of his own, for 14 points. San Antonio's shooters definitely came through in the clutch, a huge part of the victory.
It was Dejounte Murray's corner 3PT dagger that sealed the victory to the roar of the crowd, which segued into the classic "Beat L-A" chant. Drummond had poked the ball free from LeBron's grasp, which sparked a fast break pass by Ingram to Murray in the corner, giving the Spurs a 104-110 lead. Free throws by LA would keep them in it, though. Meanwhile, Rodion Kurucs had 10 points off the bench, hitting two threes and earning some respect from Anthony Davis, whose lax defensive coverage came back to bite L.A. The bench came through also for the Spurs, playing well enough to hold the line as the stars got some breathing room on the sidelines.
In the narrow defeat, LeBron James missed a wide-open jumper as Klay Thompson nearly got open for a 3 on the fast break. It had become just a 2-PT, one possession affair at 108-110 with 1 minute left to go in regulation as Murray heroically drew another whistle, burying two more to fend off the Lakers. Not to be outdone, LeBron found Dennis Schroder. He was on fire in his own right, nailing the layup with 49s left. Next, Murray caught a double-team but whipped the ball down to Ingram, who double-clutched his way past a trailing Anthony Davis for the rise-up dunk. After LeBron's misfire, Klay nearly got the rebound but Drummond prevailed and that was all she wrote, at last. Down by four after two free throws, Davis missed a 3PT attempt and more free throws followed to seal the strong win.
The Rest:
Anthony Davis: 28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks)
Dennis Schroder: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 4-6 3PT
LeBron James: 18 points, 8 assists, 5 turnovers
Wes Matthews: 11 points
Klay Thompson: 7 points, 3-11 FG (1-5 3PT)
Shabazz Napier: 6 points, 2 assists