Two of the NBA’s top powerhouses will battle it out on Wednesday night, with the winner taking sole possession of second place in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers (23-11) are entering San Antonio riding a three-game win streak, while the Spurs (25-11) have lost two consecutive games. Catch all the action on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+ at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT.
However, a bright spot for the Spurs is that franchise player Victor Wembanyama made his return on Tuesday in the teams 106-105 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. He missed the previous two games after suffering a left knee hyperextension against the New York Knicks on New Years Eve.
He scored 30 points in 21 minutes off the bench.
It is unclear if the seven-foot-four superstar will play against the Lakers, but if not, the team will look to rely on De’Aaron Fox, who had arguably his worst game of the season against the Grizzlies with nine points, five assists and eight rebounds on 4-of-18 shooting.
On Tuesday, the Lakers came away with a 111-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, with both LeBron James and Luka Dončić dropping 30 points apiece.
James, 41, is averaging nearly 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game in his 23rd NBA season, while Dončić is having himself an MVP caliber season, putting up 33.5 points, 8.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Both teams are entering tonights game playing their second game of a back-to-back.
The Lakers will continue to be without guard Austin Reaves, who was ruled out at least four weeks after suffering a calf strain in the team’s Christmas day game against the Houston Rockets. The 27-year-old was having a career year prior to the injuries, putting up 26.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.
As for the Spurs, Devin Vassell will remain out for the fifth consecutive game with a left adductor sprain. He is averaging 15 points per game.
The last time these two teams played each other was in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, where the Spurs beat the Lakers 132-119 to advance to the semi-finals. The Spurs were without Wembanyama in that matchup.
San Antonio went on to make the Cup finals, where they lost to the Knicks 124-113 in the process.
This will be the third time this season that the two teams have squared off.
