LaMarcus Aldridge scores 23 as Spurs hold off upstart Lakers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gregg Popovich emerged from his first look at the revamped Los Angeles Lakers with enormous respect for the work of fellow coach Luke Walton.
Popovich’s veteran San Antonio Spurs also showed Walton’s Lakers just how far they’ve still got to go.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 12 rebounds in the Spurs’ fifth straight victory Friday night, 116-107 over the Lakers.
Tony Parker had 16 points and seven assists for the Spurs, who improved to 7-0 on the road this season. They’ve won six straight over the Lakers, but this back-and-forth victory bore little resemblance to San Antonio’s regular demolitions of the Lakers over the previous few seasons.
“Luke has done a great job of making them believe and playing aggressively, and you can really see it,” said Popovich, who earned his 1,099th win to pass Larry Brown for seventh place on the NBA’s career list. “They came back and stuck it to us. … We got after it and executed better, but I am just so impressed with what (Walton) has done with this group.”
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Pau Gasol scored 16 points in his first trip to Staples Center with the Spurs, who went 18 for 19 at the free throw line to hang on after the Lakers rallied late. Parker hit a clinching 17-foot jumper with 33.6 seconds left.
“They’re talented,” Parker said of the Lakers. “They play hard for Luke. They play with great energy, and they have a lot of pieces. Now it’s all about chemistry and how they’re going to gel.”
Lou Williams scored 24 points and Nick Young added 20 for the Lakers, who played without injured leading scorer D’Angelo Russell for the first time this season. Los Angeles still kept it close until the final minutes, when Aldridge and Leonard took turns hitting big shots before Parker’s big bucket.
“We cooled off a little bit (in the third quarter), and they just continued to go, which is what they do,” Walton said. “The important thing to take away is how we come back from this, how we respond.”
