The Los Angeles Lakers failed to return to the NBA Cup championship, falling to the San Antonio Spurs in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
L.A. only led in the first quarter, when they were up 18-12 with less than seven minutes remaining. That six-point advantage was the Lakers’ biggest lead of the game, as the Spurs controlled the rest of the contest after taking the 39-30 lead by the end of the quarter.
The Spurs led by as many as 24 points, with the Lakers’ defense struggling to contain Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox who combined for 50 points. Five other San Antonio players scored in double figures, as the team shot 50% from the field and 44.7% from deep en route to a 132-119 win.
Both Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart had big games for the Purple and Gold, with the former dropping 35 points and the latter scoring 26. However, they committed a ton of fouls, with the Spurs attempting 36 free throws and making 29 of them.
After the game, the Lakers’ defense was a major talking point, with many blaming it for their downfall.
Popular sports commentator Skip Bayless also felt that the Lakers’ defense was lacking, but he didn’t stop there. He even singled out Doncic, whom he implied is the biggest “faker” on that end of the floor for the team.
“Lakers are Fakers on defense – especially Luka Oncic,” Bayless wrote on X.
For what it’s worth, Doncic acknowledged the Lakers’ defensive issues in his postgame presser. The Lakers still have a pretty good record at 17-7, but the Slovenian star admitted that they can improve. Doncic specifically mentioned how they allowed the Spurs to shoot 10 triples in the first half, which put L.A. in a 12-point deficit.
“Obviously 17-7 is a good start, but I think we can be better than this,” Doncic stated, per Lakers Nation.
The Lakers play the Phoenix Suns next, which should be an opportunity for the team to bounce back. After that, the Purple and Gold play the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, the Sun again and the Houston Rockets until Christmas.
