Before the San Antonio Spurs’ NBA Cup match with the Los Angeles Lakers, Keldon Johnson told reporters that he had some extra motivation to win the tournament’s cash prize – a llama. The Spurs’ forward said that with the winnings, he’d purchase a llama for his farm. The rest of th e team must really want him to get that llama, because they gave a dominant performance in a 132-119 win to advance to the semifinals. San Antonio’s game plan was obvious from tip-off: play fast, get to the basket, space the floor with shooters, and make Luka Doncic beat them in the pick and roll. It all worked for them, as the Lakers couldn’t keep up on either end. The Spurs scored 16 points off turnovers and had 27 fast-break points. They shot 50% from the field and 45% from three. The Spurs were red hot to start the game, especially Johnson, who hit three triples in the first quarter on his way to 13 of his 17 points in the opening frame. Johnson led San Antonio’s bench unit that kept the level of play high when the starters rested. The Spurs’ bench outscored the Lakers’ bench 48-31. Dylan Harper and Julian Champagnie played a big role, scoring 16 and 13 points, respectively. Whenever the Lakers did make a run, it came on the back of Luka Doncic. The Lakers’ star had 35 points and 8 assists in the loss. A lot of those assists were to Marcus Smart, who had 26 points off the bench, including 8 three-pointers. The Spurs were leaving him wide open, and he made them pay. It didn’t happen too often, but when Los Angeles got out in transition, it was led by LeBron James, who had 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists. Late in the fourth quarter, the Lakers rode a run to cut the Spurs’ 20-point lead down to single digits. San Antonio once again called upon their backcourt to seal the game. Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox made clutch plays to extend their lead late in the game. Castle led the Spurs in scoring with 30 points on an efficient 10-14 shooting, adding in 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Fox was a calming presence all game with 20 points and just 1 turnover. It was an impressive win for the young Spurs. They executed Mitch Johnson’s game plan to a T, and responded every time the Lakers through a counter punch. They did it all without their superstar Victor Wembanyama, who looked locked in on the bench. Now, San Antonio will head to Las Vegas on Saturday to face the 24-1 Oklahoma City Thunder with a chance to go to the NBA Cup finals. It remains to be seen if Wembanyama will suit up, but even if he doesn’t, this Spurs squad has the talent and motivation to take on the defending NBA champs. The fate of KJ’s future llama lies in the balance. ...read more read less