LOS ANGELES_From a vastly more experienced team, the Los Angeles Lakers got a lesson Friday night at Staples Center.
They lost to the veteran San Antonio Spurs, 116-107, falling to 7-6 this season as the Spurs improved to 10-3.
Although the Lakers got as close as four points in the fourth quarter, the Spurs kept them an arm's length away until the end. Spurs point guard Tony Parker's layup with 33 seconds left in the game gave the Spurs a six-point lead that only grew as the Lakers fouled to slow the game.
The Spurs came in 6-0 on the road, and with a more seasoned roster. All of their starters have at least five years of NBA experience, and several have at least 10.
"They're smart, they're talented, they're well coached," Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. "You've gotta be hitting on all cylinders to beat them. Tonight we didn't. I think the important thing to take away is how we come back from this."
An injury made the Lakers a little bit more of a veteran team than they had been previously. Second-year point guard D'Angelo Russell missed the game with a sore left knee. Walton chose 35-year-old Jose Calderon to start in his place, again eschewing a lineup that would disrupt his second unit.
Heading into Friday's game the Lakers had the highest-scoring bench in the NBA, and their second unit of Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, Larry Nance Jr., Tarik Black and Brandon Ingram has had a habit of digging the Lakers out of early deficits.
On Friday, climbing out of an early deficit was a group effort.
The Lakers trailed, 26-16, after one quarter, but then outscored the Spurs, 36-26, in the second quarter. Luol Deng scored eight points, including two three-pointers, in the second quarter, and Nick Young made all four of his shots.
Young made a three-pointer with 58.2 seconds left in the half. On the next play, he drove to the basket for a layup that gave the Lakers a one-point lead. It was part of a 7-0 run near the end of the half that brought the Lakers back into contention. Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard found himself open for a dunk as the quarter ended, but the two points were taken off the scoreboard after a review showed the shot was released after the clock expired.
The teams went into halftime tied at 52. Williams, known more for his fourth-quarter heroics, had 11 points by halftime. He finished the game with 24.
Everything was a fight.
The Lakers' fastbreaks were rarely uncontested. And even solid defensive plays weren't always enough.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Nance tapped the ball away from Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, but Aldridge got it back and scored anyway.
After three quarters, the Lakers trailed by 15 points. The Spurs shot 73.7 percent in the third quarter, in which they outscored the Lakers, 39-24.
The momentum didn't last for the Spurs. With 1:39 remaining in the game, they had made seven of 18 fourth-quarter shots. The Lakers, charged with the energy of their home crowd, made one final push, getting to within four.
Ultimately, the Spurs' talent, experience and strength proved too much for them to overcome.
