Anthony Davis dominates as Lakers open NBA Cup title defense with win

The Lakers saw Anthony Davis outduel Victor Wembanyama to lead the Lakers to a big road win over the Spurs to open up the NBA Cup on Thursday.

The Lakers opened their NBA Cup title defense with an exciting victory over the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, 120-115. After a strong start from San Antonio to open the game, Anthony Davis took over to lead to a road win.

It was a return to dominance for AD after a quieter game against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Davis scored 26 points in the first half and 40 points overall while LeBron James notched his fourth-straight triple-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists.

Starting in place of Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht scored 14 points. Austin Reaves chipped in 19 points. Max Christie had his best game of the year, scoring 11 points off the bench. D’Angelo Russell also chipped in 13 points off the bench, too.

The new-look Lakers starting lineup had little burst to start the game as the Spurs scored the opening nine points of the game, capped off by a Victor Wembanayama 3-pointer, to force an early timeout.

Wemby wasn’t slowed as he knocked down a stepback jumper out of the break before Dalton Knecht got the Lakers on the board with a fastbreak layup. It didn’t slow down the Spurs much as Chris Paul chipped in to help the hosts move ahead 18-6.

A Knecht 3-pointer kept the Lakers afloat and trimmed the lead to 22-13, but the Lakers had little going for them offensively in the opening frame. In the final stages of the quarter, the Lakers offense came alive behind AD, who had 16 first-quarter points.

Improbably, after trailing by 12 early, the Lakers ended the quarter on a 25-12 run to lead 31-30 at the end of the frame. The run continued into the second quarter as they scored the first four points.

Max Christie came alive in his return to the rotation, converting a fastbreak layup and wing 3-pointer to put the Lakers up 42-32. The Spurs responded with a trio of unanswered 3-pointers to immediately cut the deficit to one.

The two sides then traded mini-runs the rest of the half, the Lakers extending the lead to as many as eight before the Spurs would pull themselves back into the game. Ultimately, though, it was the half of AD, who scored 26 in the first two periods to lead the Lakers to a 68-60 halftime advantage.

The third quarter was much of the same with the two sides trading baskets throughout. The Lakers opened up a double-digit lead early on before the Spurs got as close as a point on multiple occasions.

AD got up to 30 points after a fairly quiet third quarter, while Wemby wasn’t far behind with 24 points. A flurry from the Lakers to end the third quarter saw them open up the lead to 93-86 heading into the fourth.

Another run from the Spurs pulled them back within a point again at 101-100 after a 3-pointer from Keldon Johnson that forced a timeout. San Antonio had multiple attempts at the rim to take the lead out of the break but repeatedly squandered the opportunity.

Anthony Davis knocked down a big 3-pointer and split free throws on separate trips to the line, extending the lead to 106-101. The Spurs, though, finally moved ahead on consecutive 3-pointers, Devin Vassell connecting on the latter to take a 107-106 lead.

A Wemby alley-oop was answered by an AD 3-pointer to give the Lakers a two-point lead. Wemby responded with a finish at the rim and Stephon Castle knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Spurs a two-point lead.

Austin Reaves responded with a 3-pointer to give the Lakers the lead. Castle and AD traded baskets to keep the Lakers ahead with 90 seconds remaining. A LeBron layup off an AD dish with 25 seconds left extended the lead to three.

The Lakers got the defensive stops they needed down the stretch and LeBron iced the game with freebies at the line.

It’s a back-to-back for the Lakers as they return to the court in New Orleans on Saturday. Tip is set for 5 p.m. PT.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.