In the absence of Lakers’ superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, San Antonio worked through a sloppy first quarter and took advantage of a generous LA defense to jump ahead in the first half. Intermittent periods of sloppy play threatened to doom the Spurs throughout the rest of the game, but clutch scoring by All-Star Dejounte Murray bolstered by hot shooting throughout and just enough defensive stops helped offset a turnover-plagued evening and cinch the victory.
San Antonio’s win (25-40) temporarily puts them 1.5 games ahead of the 12th seeded Sacramento Kings (24-42) pending their matchup against Denver tonight, while more importantly brought the Spurs with 1⁄2 game of the 10th place Portland Trail Blazers.