The Lakers were back in action in a Sunday matinee and welcomed the San Antonio Spurs (4-9), whom they previously defeated in overtime 125-121 on Oct. 26. Much like their first meeting, today’s game ended with the Lake Show (8-6) coming out on top, 114-106.
The big story of the afternoon was the return of Talen Horton-Tucker. The 20-year-old sensation had missed the first 13 games of the season following surgery on his right thumb to repair the ulnar collateral ligament.
Frank Vogel announced pregame that THT had earned a spot in the starting five, emphasizing the team’s ‘need to shift a few things.’
In his season debut, Horton-Tucker scored 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with four rebounds in 27 minutes.
“He was great,” Vogel said postgame. “Felt confident in starting him. You never know what to expect but he looked really good. Puts a lot of pressure on the rim which just helps everything for us offensively. Talen is able to play both sides of the ball. That’s our vision for him this year and it’s great to have back on both sides.”
Anthony Davis had another superb outing, scoring 34 points and recording 15 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. He added six assists, two steals and a block in 40 minutes. This was the fourth game where AD finished his outing with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds (tied for most in NBA).
Russell Westbrook earned his seventh double-double of the year after scoring 14 points and 11 rebounds to go with seven assists and two steals in 34 minutes.
Part of Vogel’s lineup shift included Carmelo Anthony in the starting lineup, as Melo finished with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting (2-3 from three-point range). Malik Monk and Wayne
Ellington combined for 31 points on 11-of-18 and finished 7-of-11 from beyond the arc
(Ellington finished with a team high five, 3-pointers).
The Lakers as a team finished with six players scoring 14+ points.
Los Angeles has struggled in the third quarter of games this season and most recently Friday’s game against Minnesota. Today, the Lakers had their best third quarter of the season, outscoring the Spurs 30-24. After the game, Anthony Davis commented on the Lakers ability to not have a repeat of last game.
“[San Antonio] made runs but we didn’t buckle down defensively,” Davis said. “Melo had a big three, Talen made some finishes and guys made some big plays toward the end of the game and we were able to get the win.”
Next on the agenda is a Monday night matchup with a rejuvenated Chicago Bulls team who will feature some familiar faces in the lineup including Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.