The Lakers kept their momentum going, winning their third consecutive game in convincing fashion with a 123-92 victory over the Spurs on Sunday night.
After falling behind 4-2 early in the 1st quarter, the Lakers went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game and never looked back. They closed the 1st period up by 14 points, tacked on an additional four points to close the half up 18, and then broke the game open in the 3rd quarter to go up by as many as 34 points, coasting through the rest of the game to get the W.
Anthony Davis was dominant once again in this one, scoring 30 points (12-19 shooting) while grabbing 18 rebounds to go along with 2 assists, 3 steals, and a single block. This was AD's third consecutive game of scoring at least 30 points and pulling down 15+ rebounds, the longest such streak of his career.
AD had his full arsenal of offensive moves going in this one, dominating inside via post ups and assisted dunks, creating off the dribble for one-legged runners, and even peppering some mid-range jumpers for good measure. Add in his fantastic rim protection and general defensive activity and it's no wonder he finished the night a team best +34 in the boxscore.
Russell Westbrook joined AD on the double-double train, scoring 10 points (4-9 shooting, 2-5 from distance) and dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Russ was excellent at pushing the pace in order to create easy scoring chances for teammates in transition, specifically finding a kinship with Thomas Bryant who ran the floor extremely well to connect with Russ on highlight reel plays on more than one occasion.
Bryant was also excellent in the half-court offensively, finishing well with both hands around the basket via dump-off passes and quick hitters on dives out of the pick-and-roll. Bryant scored 15 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting, adding 9 rebounds for good measure.
Austin Reaves also had another excellent game, continuing his recent run of strong play. Pouring in 21 points on 7-11 shooting, including knocking down 3 of his 4 attempts from behind the arc, Reaves was again aggressive in looking for his own offense and did so while finishing with craft and efficiency. He also continued to show off his ability to create shots for teammates, dishing out 3 assists while also playing his trademarked hard-nosed defense.
All in all, this was one of the best Lakers performances of the season. They played excellent defense, contesting shots well all over the floor and forcing San Antonio's lower percentage shooters to prove they could knock down 3-pointers to beat them. The Spurs were unable to do so -- shooting 20.6% from deep and only 39% from the field overall -- and the Lakers took advantage by pushing the pace off defensive rebounds and getting good looks vs. a defense that wasn't yet set.
On the other end, the Lakers shot 52.9% from the field and had seven players score in double digits. They shared ball well, consistently making the extra pass and posting their second consecutive game with 29 assists. They were aggressive in attacking the basket all night, earning themselves 24 free throw attempts and knocking down 21 of them (87.5%). It's hard to ask for much more from them on either end of the ball.
With three straight victories in the books, the Lakers will look to keep their winning ways going when they face off against the Suns in Phoenix on Tuesday.