Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Anthony Davis goes for 40 as the Spurs drop the final game of a 5-game stretch from the Frost Bank Center The San Antonio Spurs fought valiantly to get over the hump all night and nearly did, but in the end dropped a winnable game to the Lakers to kick off their 2024 NBA Cup debut. San Antonio got big games from Victor Wembanyama and rookie Stephon Castle, but were ultimately done in by a huge night from Anthony Davis and the Lakers’ supporting cast on a night where Lebron James was held way under his season scoring average. The Spurs finish their 5 game home stand 3-2 and are 6-7 overall. Their next Cup game will be Tuesday night at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they’re back in action tomorrow night for a SEGABABA on the road against a Dallas Mavericks team that has lost 4 in a row. Observations Going back to last season, the Spurs have yet to win a single NBA Cup game Victor Wembanyama had a great first half, but struggled to establish position through much of the 2nd half, as the Lakers made it a point to push and front him in the 2nd half. San Antonio ran a lot of their offense through him at the nail in that first half, the old Dirk Nowitzki spot that he dominated from throughout his career, but seemed to go away from it as the game wore on. After a career-night beyond the arc in his 50 point game against the Wizards, he went just 4/13 in this one. The amount of pressure Anthony Davis puts on the rim every possession is what Wemby should hopefully be capable of one day. Davis, who had 26 points in the first half and 40 for the game, did hit a huge 3 in the closing minutes of the game, but the majority of the night was spent finding his way both into the paint and to the free throw line, where he was 10/12 from the charity stripe. Wembanyama, by comparison, didn’t attempt a single free throw. The transition defense was pretty horrible in the first half, with Lakers leaking out after every San Antonio miss seemingly unopposed. It was much better in the 2nd half and the Spurs were able to narrow the fast break point disparity by the time the game ended. Lebron James, who turns 40 years old in a few weeks, notched a 4th straight triple double for the first time in his career. San Antonio actually did a great job on him throughout the game, as James had 7 turnovers to go with his triple double and had just 11 points until the waning moments of the 4th, hitting a clutch layup and two clutch free throws to put the game away. Next to Wemby, Stephon Castle has probably stood out the most during this home stand and the story was the same tonight. The rook, who scored in double digits in each game on this home-stand, paced San Antonio in the first half with 15 of his 22 points and had some clutch buckets down the stretch, even putting the Spurs up at two different moments in the last 2 minutes of the game with free throws and a tough layup. Chris Paul recorded his 12,000 assist early in the game, becoming just the 3rd player in NBA history to hit that mark after John Stockton and Jason Kidd. Paul has played as well as any 40-year old player not named Lebron James can hope to play and he’s already had an invaluable impact on these young Spurs. With 11 points and 11 assists, he also notched his 5th double double this season tonight. ASSIST #12,000 in #PhantomCam https://t.co/B5fULeL3Td pic.twitter.com/iX2ZerkUgd— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2024 For the Laker fan’s perspective, please visit Silver Screen and Roll.