Anthony Davis poured in 40 points and added 12 rebounds and LeBron James scored Los Angeles’ final four points and recorded his fourth straight triple-double as the visiting Lakers outlasted the San Antonio Spurs 120-115 on Friday in the West’s Group B of the NBA Cup.
The Spurs trailed by eight points at halftime and seven after three quarters before rallying to take a 107-106 lead on Devin Vassell’s 3-pointer with 4:28 left. The lead then changed hands seven times, the last on a dunk by Davis off an assist by Austin Reaves to give the Lakers a 116-115 lead with 1:31 remaining.
Both teams missed 3-pointers before Chris Paul was whistled for an offensive foul with 47 seconds left. James hit a cutting layup on the ensuing possession to expand the Lakers’ advantage to three points. After a miss by Stephon Castle on a contested stepback 3-pointer, James canned two free throws with 11.1 seconds to play to seal the win.
Los Angeles is 1-0 in NBA Cup play and San Antonio falls to 0-1.
James finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists as the Lakers won their fourth straight game. Reaves added 19 points, Dalton Knecht had 14, D’Angelo Russell scored 13 and Max Christie chipped in 11 points in the victory.
Victor Wembanyama paced the Spurs with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Castle added 22 points, Vassell had 15, Keldon Johnson scored 12, Paul chipped in 11 points and 11 assists and Julian Champagnie scored 10 for San Antonio.
The Spurs led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter before the Lakers caught fire, outscoring the home team 10-0 over the final 1:47 to take a 31-30 advantage after 12 minutes of play.
Los Angeles continued the pressure, going on an 11-2 run over the first two-plus minutes of the second quarter to go up 42-32. The Spurs swung back, scoring the ensuing nine points. James threw an alley-oop dunk to Davis with 14.2 seconds left as the Lakers took a 68-60 lead into the break.
Davis led all scorers with 26 points in the first half and Christie added 11 as the Lakers shot 53.1 percent from the floor. Wembanyama paced San Antonio with 16 points while Castle scored 15.
