|
|
|
|
|
|
San Antonio Spurs 105, Los Angeles Lakers 96
Los Angeles, CA Nov. 5 / Wire Reports -- Ticker --
The Los Angeles Lakers made a concerted effort to hit the boards, but, when it mattered most, their inability to control the
glass resulted in a second straightloss.
Tim Duncan had 26 points and 16 rebounds and Manu Ginobili had 18 and seven as the San Antonio Spurs posted a 105-96 triumph
over the Lakers.
After getting outrebounded in its first two games since the departure of star center Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles got a big
effort from forward Lamar Odom and held a 46-41 edge on the boards. But after drawing within 101-95 with 2:04 to go, the
Lakers failed to control the offensive glass.
Duncan missed two free throws with 1:49 left but Los Angeles could not corral the second miss, allowing Duncan to run it
down. Brent Barry, who had 13 points off the bench, missed a 3-pointer with 88 seconds to go and again San Antonio showed
more desire as Duncan hauled in another loose ball.
Chris Mihm fouled Duncan with 68 seconds remaining and the superstar forward made both of his attempts for a 103-95
cushion.
"Duncan was just amazing with how many rebounds he got when he wasn't on the inside. And not getting rebounds off free
throws really hurt us. You have to get those," Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.
"They got some timely rebounds," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. "We got more of them but they really seemed to get the ones
that counted more."
Odom finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds but had six turnovers. "We have to rebound the ball collectively," Odom said.
"We have to do the small things to gain wins. ... Those offensive rebounds in the last minute or so were definitely
backbreakers.
The smallest breakdown, a rebound or two going the other way, they can kill you."
Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points, including 12 in the final quarter, but made just 8-of-22 shots from the field.
One game after their worst shooting effort in franchise history, the Lakers shot 43.2 percent (32-of-74) from the field and
40 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range. But one of the league's better rivalries lacked its usual drama.
The Lakers bounced the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals last season but did so with future Hall of Famers O'Neal,
Gary Payton and Karl Malone on the roster. In the first meeting between the teams that have met in five of the last six
postseasons, Bryant clearly had the inferior supporting cast and had to fight the uphill battle - even at home.
"It was a good test for us," Bryant said. "San Antonio is a team that really knows what they are doing out there because
they have the chemistry and they have been together a long time. We are a young team still trying to figure out how we want
to go about things."
"The Lakers are a lot different," Duncan said. "They attack in different ways. I thought Lamar played really well. Kobe
had a very good game of course. They are also moving the ball and trying different ways to get everyone involved."
Los Angeles hung close in the opening quarter, trailing 29-27 after 12 minutes. A basket by Bryant with 9:26 left in the
opening half got the Lakers within 35-31 but Ginobili found Beno Udrih for a layup 10 seconds later, igniting a 12-0 run.
Duncan had the final five points in the spurt, which he capped with a dunk with 6:46 remaining in the quarter.
A fadeaway by Duncan just over four minutes into the third quarter gave the Spurs their biggest lead of the game, 70-52.
A basket by Rasho Nesterovic gave San Antonio an 86-73 edge 15 seconds into the fourth quarter and the Spurs' lead still was
11 with 5:54 left in the contest. Two free throws by Bryant 15 seconds later ignited an 8-3 burst.
Within 99-93 and just under three minutes to play, Los Angeles saw Bryant commit a costly turnover. Barry hit two free
throws, but Jumaine Jones had a follow shot with 2:05 left, setting the stage for the Lakers' late collapse.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
