Category: Basketball

The San Antonio Spurs got some early All-Star Game practice against the Los Angeles Lakers. There wasn’t a lot of defense being played by the Lakers, which meant the Spurs were able to get up whatever shots they wanted. They leaped out to a 47-30 lead in the first quarter and never looked back on their way to a 136-108 victory.

Victor Wembanyama set the tone in the first quarter, scoring 25 points in under eight minutes of play. He could get to the basket whenever he wanted and was red hot from three.

25 PTS in 8 minutes 🤯@wemby is unreal. pic.twitter.com/mxo3H1E5tM

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 11, 2026

Above is Wemby’s first quarter in all its glory. I jokingly sent a message to some other Pounding the Rock writers that Wembanyama was on pace for a 100-point game. In a normal game where he was able to play a full-minute load and maintain his rhythm, he may have gotten close. Wemby had 40 points and 12 rebounds in just 26 minutes.

SWIPA OFF THE BACKBOARD TO VIC ‼️

📺 FanDuelSN SW, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/jyx8oxdRW5

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 11, 2026

It looked like the Spurs were intentionally trying to force-feed Wembanyama the ball to pad his stats. It couldn’t have been clearer than when De’Aaron Fox passed up an open layup on the break to throw the ball off the backboard to Wemby for a dunk. The defender literally stops to guard Wemby when Fox is in front of him, going up for a layup! With any other big trailing the break, this would be a turnover, but the Alien turns it into a highlight play.

.@carterdbryant put on a show and delivered when his number was called 👏 pic.twitter.com/t7EkgBsT5F

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 11, 2026

Carter Bryant built on his good performance against the Dallas Mavericks with another solid game on Tuesday. The rookie had 16 points on 6-12 shooting, cashing in a trio of three-pointers. Bryant looks more comfortable doing less. He’s making timely cuts, hitting open spot-up jumpers, and playing hard defensively. The more opportunities he gets, the better he plays. That’s an exciting development for San Antonio, which needs big defensive wings who can space the floor. Bryant is turning heads and looking more and more like a key piece moving forward.

KJ saw the rim and chose violence 😤

📺 FanDuelSN SW, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/uULbxFoztW

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 11, 2026

Keldon Johnson got in on the fun on Tuesday as well. In the fourth quarter, with the game completely out of reach for the Lakers, the Spurs gave up a 12-0 run as Los Angeles’s bench tried to claw back. KJ silenced it immediately with this impactful slam.

KJ OOP TO LUKE 🙌

📺 FanDuelSN SW, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/xvwO0s819A

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 11, 2026

Even with Wembanyama out of the game, the Spurs were still able to get highlight dunks. This time it comes on the lob from Johnson to Luke Kornet for the easy bucket.

DEV ON BOTH ENDS 🫡

📺 FanDuelSN SW, NBA TV pic.twitter.com/J7gbDILo4U

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) February 11, 2026

Devin Vassell went most of the first half without registering a single statistic, but turned it on in the third quarter on his way to 9 points on 4-5 shooting. This steal and slam was his best play of the night, showing off his improved defensive instincts, especially when he’s playing in the passing lanes.

The Spurs will travel to Golden State to take on a Curry- and Butler-less Warriors team on Wednesday night. It’s their last game before the All-Star break.

Check out the link below to see full highlights from the win over the Lakers.

Our NBA player prop projections for Knicks vs. 76ers dive into recent usage, minutes and other trends to find expected value. Looking at those player props can inform your bets on Wednesday, February 11.

Consider them among our Knicks vs. 76ers predictions and other NBA picks before tonight’s tips.

Knicks vs 76ers computer picks for February 11

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Toronto Raptors host the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons, with both teams playing well.

My Pistons vs. Raptors predictions and NBA picks break down this East battle and explain why Detroit presents more problems for the home team.

Pistons vs Raptors prediction

Pistons vs Raptors best bet: Pistons moneyline (-110)

The Toronto Raptors are fifth in the conference and 7-3 in their last 10. However, those losses came against Minnesota, Orlando, and New York, all of which featured double-digit second-half collapses.

The Detroit Pistons will present similar problems. They have the best record in the East and are the only team with a better net rating than Oklahoma City.

This is a matchup of Top 10 defensive teams, but Detroit also has a Top 10 offense, while Toronto lacks efficiency, ranking 18th in effective field goal percentage.

Pistons vs Raptors same-game parlay

Defensive battles usually mean lots of rebounds, and the Pistons are one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. But with Jalen Duren getting a two-game suspension, that could mean more work from Ausar Thompson.

Thompson averages 6.6 rebounds over his last 13 games, topping 6.5 eight times.

No Duren means Raptors center Sandro Mamukelashvili should have some more room to work in the paint. Mamukelashvili is averaging 15.5 points over his last 12 games, going Over 12.5 points nine times in that stretch. 

Pistons vs Raptors SGP

• Pistons moneyline
• Ausar Thompson Over 6.5 rebounds
• Sandro Mamukelashvili Over 12.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Battle on the boards

Good defensive battles usually mean rebounds. These four guys could have a big night cleaning the glass. 

Pistons vs Raptors SGP

• Ausar Thompson Over 6.5 rebounds
• Cade Cunningham Over 5.5 rebounds
• Scottie Barnes Over 8.5 rebounds
• RJ Barrett Over 5.5 rebounds

Pistons vs Raptors odds

• Spread: Pistons -1 | Raptors +1
• Moneyline: Pistons -110 | Raptors -110
• Over/Under: Over 223 | Under 223

Pistons vs Raptors betting trend to know

The Pistons have covered the first-half spread in 26 of their last 40 games for +11.05 units and a 24% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Pistons vs. Raptors.

How to watch Pistons vs Raptors

Pistons vs Raptors latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to host the New York Knicks as the two teams meet for the fourth time this season.

Re-invigorated at home and playing with a rest advantage, my Knicks vs. 76ers predictions call for Tyrese Maxey to get teammates involved as the home team covers a small spread.

Here are my best free NBA picks for this Eastern Conference tilt on Wednesday, February 11.

Knicks vs 76ers prediction

Knicks vs 76ers best bet: Tyrese Maxey Over 6.5 assists (-115)

Knicks vs 76ers same-game parlay

New York fell to the Indiana Pacers in overtime last night as 11.5-point home favorites, giving the Sixers a rest advantage after returning home from a five-game road trip.

Joel Embiid has averaged 33.1 points over his last 10 games, reaching 30+ points in eight of them. He’s poised for a big night against a fatigued Knicks defense.

Knicks vs 76ers SGP

• Tyrese Maxey Over 7.5 assists
• 76ers -2.5
• Joel Embiid Over 29.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Next Man Up

Considering Anunoby and Miles McBride are sidelined for New York, forward Mohamed Diawara is set for increased playing time.

In seven games where he’s logged 15+ minutes, Diawara has averaged 7.9 points, reaching at least five points in five of those contests.

Knicks vs 76ers SGP

• Tyrese Maxey Over 7.5 assists
• 76ers -2.5
• Joel Embiid Over 29.5 points
• Mohamed Diawara Over 4.5 points

Knicks vs 76ers odds

• Spread: Knicks +2.5 (-115) | 76ers -2.5 (-115)
• Moneyline: Knicks +115 | 76ers -135
• Over/Under: Over 224.5 (-110) | Under 224.5 (-110)

Knicks vs 76ers betting trend to know

Philadelphia has covered the 2Q spread in 33 of its last 50 games (+15.35 Units / 26% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Knicks vs. 76ers.

How to watch Knicks vs 76ers

Knicks vs 76ers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Six days ago, as anxiety was about as high among the fanbase as I can remember, it became clear the Bucks were not going to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. This didn’t come as a surprise. It also didn’t come as a surprise that Milwaukee made a move, shipping out unproductive vets Cole Anthony and Amir Coffey, both on expiring contracts, for Ousmane Dieng, a lottery ticket. Even though Milwaukee’s interest in him was long reported, what did come as more of a surprise was signing Cam Thomas to the resulting roster opening.

It seems more likely we’ll see more of Thomas than former 11th overall pick Dieng, but will we know enough to decide whether they’re part of the Bucks’ future? Thomas is indeed on a minimum contract, and they’ll only have Non-Bird rights on him this summer when he hits unrestricted free agency. That limits Milwaukee to a new contract with a starting salary of up to $3.4m. Otherwise, they’d have to dip into their mid-level or bi-annual exception to keep him. Dieng will be a restricted free agent if the Bucks extend an $8.7m qualifying offer, and can thus match any offer to re-sign him. If they don’t, he’s unrestricted, but either way, they will have Bird rights on him, and their offer can be anything up to the max.

In this week’s Tuesday-Wednesday Tracker, we want to know how you think the Bucks did at the deadline and what it means for Giannis’ future. We also have a bonus question about a controversial partnership Giannis entered into with a sports betting site. This week is a two-parter, and if you missed it, we asked another question about Giannis and took your opinions on the Thomas signing yesterday. We’ll have the results for you this weekend.

---

As always, this poll will be open until midnight Central on Friday, and we’ll post the results later that day. Thanks for voting!

The NBA’s All-Star weekend is an opportunity for the league to showcase its talent. The main event is the All-Star Game, but the 3-point Contest, Rising Stars Game, and the Slam Dunk Contest are also important fixtures of the festivities.

For any NBA player, being involved in the weekend is an honor, but for Jaxson Hayes, it means a bit more. He was asked to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest and accepted.

With the All-Star Game happening in LA, Hayes will represent the Lakers in his home market. Sure, the game is at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, where the Clippers play, but he’ll certainly be a fan favorite.

This will be Hayes’ first time participating in the Slam Dunk Contest, but it’s something he’s wanted to do his entire career.

After the Lakers beat the Warriors, he spoke to the media about participating in the competition.

“I’ve always dreamed of being in the dunk contest,” Hayes said. “That’s something you do as a kid. I mean, obviously like making it to the NBA, being an All-Star and stuff like that, but like for me, I was always big into the dunk contest, if you guys can’t tell by the way I play, I was just excited, so when I got that call, I was definitely down.”

Hayes is certainly elite at dunking the ball. He has 75 dunks on the season, which is the 19th most in the NBA. He has only 46 made field goals that are not dunks.

Coming off the bench for the Lakers, Hayes electrifies by attacking the rim and elevating the energy of the arena when he slams one down. A prime example occurred when the Lakers faced the Bulls earlier this year. Hayes went coast-to-coast and executed a fantastic East Bay Funk Dunk.

The hope is that he can bring some of that action to the All-Star stage.

JAXSON HAYES BETWEEN THE LEGS DUNK OH MY GOODNESS pic.twitter.com/6ZZ3TWoXH7

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 27, 2026

Hayes also has some experience winning these kinds of competitions. He won the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game Dunk Contest as a senior in high school and executed an impressive windmill from the free throw line.

It’s great that the NBA selected a player who wants to be in the dunk contest and will put his best effort forward, representing the Lakers on this stage.

Kobe Bryant is the only Laker ever to win the Slam Dunk Contest, so if he could pull off a victory, it’d be a historic moment in LA and a great reward for Hayes, who has been a star in his role for the purple and gold all season long.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

In 2021, the Cleveland Cavaliers were part of a three-team trade involving James Harden and Jarrett Allen. At the time, it was seen as savvy to get in on a trade where the Brooklyn Nets needed to offload Allen to take on Harden. It feels almost surreal that a half-decade later, Allen and Harden are now a pivotal pairing in this new era of Cavaliers basketball.

In Harden’s short time in the wine and gold, what’s stood out most hasn’t been his scoring, but his ability to connect with Allen. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to those familiar with Harden-oriented offenses since his Houston Rockets days. Harden has led to career years for his bigs, such as Clint Capela in Houston, Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, Ivica Zubac in Los Angeles, and now Allen.

What is it about Harden that leads to this transformation amongst talented big men? It’s not like Harden turns pumpkins into All-Stars. The bigs listed above are all talented. It’s the consciousness and precision of Harden’s movements and understanding of how defenses respond to his every step.

Harden’s reputation as a three-level scorer demands attention. There’s a respect in how tightly defenders crowd him, knowing that at any moment the pitter-patter dribble into a step-back is coming — the move that frustrates both opposing fans and defenses alike. That looming threat forces defenders to split their attention. Stay home, and Harden steps back. Press up, and he’s by you — with a rolling big diving into space.

This was apparent from the jump with Harden.

Keeping an eye on how the James Harden/Jarrett Allen P&R chemistry develops. High P&R can engage a big early, opens Allen back up on the short roll. Combine that with Cleveland's spacing/cutting and should give it a boost. pic.twitter.com/Iv0m7bCHz3

— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) February 8, 2026

Not sure how *much* Harden gets two on the ball from teams but that's a plus for Cleveland especially if Donovan Mitchell is on the bench. Going to put the spotlight on the bigs to make reads/plays but I think CLE will take creating an advantage. pic.twitter.com/RgTo6G6C4q

— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) February 8, 2026

Kings tried to keep the Harden/Allen P&R on the side, the tricky part is Harden is going to engage the big. Always get the feel that the pace in which Harden comes off screens suits Allen, lets him release and roll pic.twitter.com/VZRxoK1MLp

— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) February 8, 2026

Yes, this is the Sacramento Kings, who were trudging out a G-League roster with cameos from Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan. However, look at how the defense is having to react to the Harden and Allen pairing. Right at the beginning of the pick and roll, defenses are met with multiple choices. Those quick decisions include whether to switch, pressure Harden on ball with a double, or to rotate to meet Allen off the roll. All needs to be decided within two seconds. These actions happen in a blur, and defenses through two games have not.

Allen has posted 29 points and 22 points with Harden in the lineup. That is not something to brush off. Allen, for long stretches this season, has been an offensive afterthought. He was a name to monitor at the deadline, as it appears the Cavaliers threw their hands up with their former All-Star big man.

Allen is not the dynamic on-ball threat that some bigs are, where he can get the ball on the block and create his own shot. Allen is a play finisher, which is exactly where Harden comes in. The Cavaliers’ offense, led by Donovan Mitchell handling primary on-ball duties, was not unlocking the bigs like Harden has.

Lineups with Harden running point with Allen at center have been on an absolute heater. The Cavaliers are posting 120.7 points per 100 possessions (88th percentile) and 108.9 points per 100 possessions in the half-court (98th percentile) with both on the floor. Swap out Harden for Mitchell on point, and those numbers drop to a 116.2 offensive rating (59th percentile) and 101.3 half-court offensive rating (78th percentile).

This isn’t a slight on Mitchell, who obviously is as dynamic a player as there is in the league. Harden is simply more of a play starter for his teammates than Mitchell. This only shows that Harden can take some of the responsibility for the Cavaliers’ offense off Mitchell.

This season, it felt like the Cavaliers could only survive if Mitchell is at his best. That usually doesn’t involve him trying to get the bigs involved. If anything, it feels like with Mitchell’s slashing ability, the Cavs’ bigs more often than not can get in the way on drives to the hoop.

Harden’s play is complementary to the bigs. Hence why Allen is standing out from the opening tip. This isn’t a short-term thing, there are tons of context throughout the career of Harden to know that this is here to stay.

Harden is a center’s best friend. Allen, who at one point was the one who seemed most likely of the core four to be on the move, instead will be the biggest beneficiary of the Cavaliers’ win-now move.

Four players have been suspended by the NBA in connection with a brawl that broke out during the Detroit Pistons-Charlotte Hornets game Monday night, the league announced Wednesday.

It was the same four players that were ejected during the Pistons' 110-104 victory at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Detroit center Isaiah Stewart was suspended seven games for leaving the bench area, agressively entering an on-court altercation and fighting. This is Stewart's fifth suspension in his six-year NBA career. One resulted from an altercation with the Lakers' LeBron James in 2021 and another from an altercation that spilled into the stands during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.

"The length of Stewart's suspension is based in part on his repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts," the NBA said in a statement.

Read more:Four players ejected after punches thrown during Pistons' win over Hornets

Charlotte forwards Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabaté were each suspended four games for fighting and escalating the altercation. Detroit center Jalen Duren received a two-game suspension for initiating the altercation and fighting.

The incident took place midway through the third quarter after Duren was fouled by Diabaté while driving toward the basket. Duren approached Diabaté and the two men appeared to bump into each other. Duren then appeared to hit Diabaté in the face with an open hand to ignite a brawl that lasted more than 30 seconds.

Bridges and Duren exchanged punches at one point, and Stewart left the bench and fought with Bridges.

The suspensions begin Wednesday, when the Pistons play the Raptors in Toronto and the Hornets host the Atlanta Hawks.

Read more:Lakers, missing their entire starting lineup, can't handle Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs

Soon after the punishments were announced, Diabaté posted an apology to "the Hornets coaches, staff, front office, teammates, and best fans in the NBA" on his Instagram Story.

"As a player, I pride myself on my passion and my commitment to giving everything on the court during every possession," he wrote. "However, in the heat of a highly competitive and physical matchup, I allowed my emotions to get the better of me, and for that, I am truly sorry.

"I understand the responsibility I carry as a professional athlete and as a role model. I view this as a learning experience and am fully committed to growing from it both as a player and a person. ... Thank you for your understanding and continued support."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MILAN (AP) — US speedskater Jordan Stolz wins the 1,000 meters for his first Olympic gold medal.

LOS ANGELES — When an NBA team without several starters plays against a reasonably healthy team, like the Lakers did when they hosted the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday in their second night of a back-to-back, two things typically happen.

The short-handed team is likely going to lose, with the talent disparity and lack of on-court familiarity too great for the under-manned team to overcome. 

This came to fruition, with the Spurs blowing out the Lakers 136-108 in a game the hosts at one point were down by 41 points and trailed by at least 25 points for the entire second half.

But what also happens is that players who are either at the back end of the rotation or don’t regularly play receive playing time they usually don’t. 

---

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Bronny James was among those players, with the second-year guard and son of Lakers star LeBron James having his highest-scoring and most productive game of the season so far. 

The younger James scored a season-high 12 points against the Spurs to go along with a season-high-tying six assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes. 

“Feel different,” Bronny said. “Feel way more comfortable. My teammates believe in me; my coaches beleive in me. That’s all I’ve wanted. It’s just good to get out there and take advantage of the minutes I get.”

What was different about the younger James’ performance against the Spurs is that it came without him receiving as much playing time with the franchise’s South Bay G League affiliate leading up to Tuesday.

In his rookie season, James played 18 games with South Bay as part of his development process, including 12 by mid-February. He didn’t go more than a month without playing a game in the G League, in addition to most of his playing time with the Lakers coming once the result of the game was decided. 

He’s played in nine G League games so far this season, with most of his playing time with the Lakers once again coming in garbage time outside of briefly being in the rotation in the early parts of the season when the team was short-handed. 

Despite the irregular playing time, James looked as comfortable as he has so far in his brief career.

He confidently shot and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. There was the sequence where he blocked Kelly Olynyk at the rim before he knocked down a step-back 3 in Olynyk’s face on the ensuing possession. 

Bronny James Jr. 12 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK, 5/10 FG, 2/2 3FG, 60% TS vs Spurs https://t.co/ygXLCgwqhSpic.twitter.com/jN2yrzXOoA

— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) February 11, 2026

Coach JJ Redick mentioned he had two “really good” defensive possessions in the first half against Victor Wembanyama, who was virtually unstoppable en route to a 40 point-12 rebound double-double in 26 minutes. 

“I’d say defensively, that’s my role that I want to excel at, especially on this team,” Bronny said. “We have a lot of guys, Luka [Doncic], LeBron [James], [Austin Reaves]. Those guys can go get buckets whenever we need them. But they need guys like myself, [Jarred Vanderbilt], Jake [LaRavia], guys who can defend. Definitely get more satisfaction out of that.”

James provided another highlight during a night that didn’t feature many for the Lakers with his alley-oop in the fourth quarter to rookie forward Adou Thiero, who played in his first game since late December after being sidelined for six weeks because of a sprained right MCL.

“He had a great game, just shooting open shots, knocking them down, creating for others,” Thiero said. “I saw Bronny had the balI. I feel like we have the connection now to where I put my finger in the air and he already knows to throw the ball up.”

Tuesday’s performance likely won’t have any impact on James’ standing in the rotation.

But on a night in which the result was pretty much decided before the opening tipoff, James provided what you’d want to see from a player in his position. 

The depleted Golden State Warriors are set to host a San Antonio Spurs team riding a five-game winning streak.

Jonathan Kuminga is gone. Jimmy Butler is out for the season. Steph Curry is hurt. 

As a result, my Spurs vs. Warriors predictions are backing Gui Santos to rise to the occasion tonight.

Read more in my NBA picks for Wednesday, February 11. 

Spurs vs Warriors prediction

Spurs vs Warriors best bet: Gui Santos Over 12.5 points (+105)

Gui Santos has been the biggest beneficiary of the trade and injury-related attrition within the Golden State Warriors' rotation. He's scored in double figures in seven straight games after reaching that mark just twice in his first 36 appearances. 

The former G League standout is now attacking off the dribble and creating his own offense. Santos has started each of the last four games and seen his playing time jump from 12:45 per night to 29:30. 

Santos's shot attempts have also climbed from 3.4 per game to 9.5.

Spurs vs Warriors same-game parlay

The Warriors are just 1-4 against the spread over their last five contests.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs are surging. During their five-game winning streak, the Spurs have defeated three teams with winning records, including the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Golden State has also pumped the brakes offensively. The Warriors have finished at least five points below today's total in three of their last four matches, failing to crack triple digits twice.

Spurs vs Warriors SGP

• Gui Santos Over 11.5 points
• Spurs -7.5
• Warriors team total Under 106.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Green Light

Moses Moody has dished out six assists across the last three games, while Draymond Green provides some of the only remaining size on the Golden State roster.

• Spurs -7.5
• Moses Moody Over 1.5 assists
• Draymond Green Over 4.5 assists

Spurs vs Warriors odds

• Spread: Spurs -5.5 (-110) | Warriors +5.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Spurs -205 | Warriors +170
• Over/Under: Over 216.5 (-110) | Under 216.5 (-110)

Spurs vs Warriors betting trend to know

San Antonio has hit the moneyline in 19 of its last 30 road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Warriors.

How to watch Spurs vs Warriors

Spurs vs Warriors latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Before attending Tuesday’s game between my Spurs and the hometown Lakers, I investigated how the teams have performed against each other over the years.  A bit of research revealed that the Spurs have a winning record against every team in the NBA except one – the Lakers.  The all-time regular season record going into Tuesday’s game was Lakers 133, Spurs 118. (Spoiler alert: the score is now 133-119.)  Broken down by decade:

1970s (Lakers, 9-5)

1980s (Lakers, 42-22)

1990s (Spurs, 30-19)

2000s (Lakers, 35-29)

2010s (Spurs, 25-14)

2020s (Lakers, 14-5)

So you don’t have to do the research, the second best record against the Spurs is held by the Phoenix Suns, with the Spurs leading that series 128-114.  The worst?  The Brooklyn Nets, which has a 31-81 record against the Spurs, and presumably have a losing record against every team in the league.  No, I am not going to do the research to confirm.

This is a long way of saying that the Spurs and the Lakers have a long history against each other, hard-fought and evenly matched.  The highlight may have been the six-year stretch 1999-2004, as the clubs faced each other in the playoffs in every one of those seasons, with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals each year and the NBA Championship for the first five years of that stretch. In 2004, the Pistons broke the streak by beating the Lakers in the Finals.  We all remember that the Lakers made the Finals in 2004 largely because of the Derek Fisher 0.4 shot over My Man Manu in Game Five of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.  What we try not to remember is the final score of that game: 74-73.  Looking at that score raises the question: Did teams only play three quarters in those days?

The rivalry continued to be great through about 2013, when it essentially went away. In November of 2019, I wrote the following:

But after the 2nd seed Spurs swept the 7th seed Lakers in the first round of the playoffs in 2013, the Lakers went off a cliff. Over the next six seasons, the Lakers finished in 14th, 14th, 15th, 14th, 11th and 10th place in the West. I knew the Lakers had put together a string of bad seasons, but looking back at that string of disastrous years is stunning. Put simply, the Lakers stunk — while the Spurs continued to excel, going 2nd, 1st, 6th, 2nd, 2nd, 7th and 7th. The first five of those years saw another Spurs’ championship and strong contender status each year until the last two.

The lack of a present rivalry grew out of the Lakers’ ineptitude for a lengthy period of time. Put simply, the Lakers were no longer a worthy rival, and thus killed the rivalry. And while the Lakers are back in the driver’s seat this season, the allure of a Lakers — Spurs game has died.

Four months after that article, the pandemic shut down the NBA.  Soon thereafter, the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, won the 2020 Bubble Championship. And in the following years, the Spurs became the bad team in the faded rivalry. Thankfully, they turned their bad fortune into gold, striking lottery gold in three consecutive seasons by getting Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.  Time will tell whether those three will eventually be seen as the three best back-to-back-to-back draft picks in NBA history.  Of course, the present Spurs squad also carries on the organization’s tradition of having scrap heap/end of the draft guys playing crucial roles: DannyGreen!!, Patty Mills, Boris Diaw (all cut by other teams) and Manu Ginobili (2^nd round) from the Beautiful Game Spurs, and Julian Champagnie (undrafted), Luke Kornet (undrafted) and Keldon Johnson (29^th pick) on this year’s team.

Thanks to my friends Ken and Kim, I had four tickets to Tuesday’s game at Staples/Crypto Arena.  I attended with three fellow hoops enthusiasts, though I was the only Spurs fan in the foursome.  Two of the others are Laker fans, while the third is a lost Knicks fan, a long way from home.  The Knicks fan is also a Jets fan, so we tried to steer our conversation far away from any mention of football.  That is what friends do for each other. And with the Lakers totally chickening out and sitting their three best players, our Jets fan probably felt right at home with one team much better than the other. 

Who else believes that the Lakers would not have sat their best players for a Spurs game back when this was the best rivalry in the league?  Kobe, Shaq, Gasol, Horry, Fox, Odom, and D Fish would not have missed a Spurs game, just as the Big Three and their teammates would not have missed a chance to compete with the Lakers.  Times have changed.

Once we heard how many Lakers were skipping the game, Knick Fan Marc texted me, “Still want to go?”  I don’t know if he was serious or not – but I was clearly going to this game.  The other three also attended.  Looking up at the sell-out crowd, no one else bailed, either.  And all of us who attended got to see something that we may never see again.

Our four seats were essentially baseline extended at the Spurs end of the court, opposite the Spurs bench, so we had the perfect view to see Victor go 8 for 9 from the floor in those first 8 minutes minus one second.  (The picture below of Victor’s free throw shows our view.)  If anyone at the game is ever asked about incredible things we have witnessed in person, we will have those 8 minutes from Spurs at Lakers on February 10, 2026.

Other thoughts

Whenever I report on these games in Los Angeles, I keep an eye out for the number of Spurs jerseys in the stands.  “Back in the day”, when the rivalry was hot, there were always a good percentage of Spurs fans.  During the dark years beginning in 2020, that percentage went way down.  With the Spurs riding the wave with their great young talent, I hoped Spurs fans would turn out in force for this game.  And the LA-area Spurs fans turned out.  I sat next to Spurs fan Steve in his Victor jersey.  Steve is not from Texas but became a fan when the Great Duncan joined the team, and he remains one today.  Two rows in front of me, and one row behind me, were guys with #5 Castle jerseys.  In line behind us before the game was a #10 DeRozan and a #20 Ginobili.  And I need to get my wife this blanket/serape/jacket for cold (LA defined) winter nights.

Also a shout out to the Laker fans who stayed until the end – and that was most of them.  I suppose spending all that money to see the Lakers, even though the best of them chose not to play, encourages people to try to get their money’s worth.  And they got to see Bronny James actually play fairly well in the fourth quarter.  The biggest cheer of the night came when Bronny made a step back three over Kelly Olynyk in the fourth quarter, cutting the Spurs’ lead to a zillion.

We also got to witness a Gonzaga vs. Gonzaga match-up in the fourth quarter.  Olynyk vs Drew Timme.  Not quite Wilt vs. Russell, but it was still fun. Timme outscored Olynyk 14-8, but Olynyk’s team won.  Hmm, somewhat like the old Wilt vs. Russell games, right?