We don’t know either.
The Los Angeles Lakers may have sealed their lottery odds fate in a stunning 102-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The effort was led by Tyler Ennis, who scored a game-high and career-high with 19 points.
D’Angelo Russell was a late scratch, sitting with a sore left knee. Brandon Ingram was held out after halftime, a precautionary measure as he was dealing with his own knee issues not long ago. Jordan Clarkson left during the second half after tweaking his knee. Metta World Peace was in for extended minutes.
The Lakers kept on winning no matter what they tried. An Ennis, David Nwaba, Corey Brewer, Thomas Robinson, Tarik Black lineup produced. There was nothing the Lakers’ tank could do to lose this game. It simply was not mean to be, with the Spurs turning the ball over time and time again and the Lakers capitalizing on the easy scoring opportunities.
The Lakers killed the Spurs on the glass, outrebounding San Antonio 47-37. The Spurs played an overtime game Tuesday night, which is about the only explanation for this one. Kawhi Leonard played a limited 14 minutes, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker each put in 16, but Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich sent them to the bench for rest early on.
LA led by as many as 26 points, taking a 12-point lead into halftime. It was surreal to watch this team, with wonky lineups and bad knees, collect their 23rd win of the season on the road against the Spurs. Unbelievable, truly.
This likely means the Lakers are all but sealed into the third-worst record this season. The Phoenix Suns are getting waxed by the Golden State Warriors at the time of this publishing, and that will give them a two-game lead with little room for the Lakers to cover what’s become some serious ground.
The Lakers head back home for a three-game stretch in STAPLES Center that starts with a visit from Buddy Hield’s Sacramento Kings.