LOS ANGELES — Even though they’re still missing a big piece, the San Antonio Spurs showed a glimpse of the firepower that could make them a force to reckon with in the league.
Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox combined for 50 points to lead a balanced attack that the Spurs used to take down the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, 132-119, on Wednesday night (Thursday AM in Manila) at the Crypto.com Arena.
The victory was especially sweet for the Spurs, who punched a ticket to the league’s in-season tournament, the NBA Cup.
We have a lot of talent on this team and we look forward to these high stakes games with the Lakers,” said Fox, who hit 8-of-17 shots including 4-of-8 from 3. His sidekick, Castle, was super efficient by converting 10-of-14 field goals while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing six assists.
San Antonio, which played without the injured Victor Wembanyama (calf), wasn’t just a 1-2 punch as veteran Harrison Barnes added 16 points while former Celtics center Luke Kormet chipped in 10 points and eight boards.
Luka Doncic paced the Lakers with 35 points and eight dimes while LeBron James added 19 and 15 rebounds, but the Lakers couldn’t overcome a 17-point deficit entering the fourth quarter of a fast-paced encounter where San Antonio stormed to a 39-point first quarter surge.
DYLAN HARPER.
Fil-Am, Dylan Harper, the No.1 overall pick in last June’s draft, came off the bench for 20 minutes and made a fine contribution with 13 points and six assists.
Sports On Air caught up with after the game and the 6-foot-5 point guard addressed a question about playing for Gilas Piliinas.
“I’m focused on the league right now,: he said, adding that he’s taking the journey “day by day.”
But the son of former Bulls great Ron Harper didn’t completey tule out the possibiity, either.
“Whatever happens, happens.”
