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Lakers guard Russell Westbrook shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker drives against San Antonio Spurs guard Joshua Primo during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers guard Malik Monk, top, drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers forward LeBron James, right, talks with teammate Dwight Howard, left, and eats a snack while sitting on the bench during the first half of their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in San Antonio. James sat out with knee soreness. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers center Dwight Howard grabs a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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The Lakers’ Malik Monk looks to pass after being cut off by San Antonio Spurs defenders during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers guard Russell Westbrook drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs guard Joshua Primo during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers head coach Frank Vogel talks to his players during the first half of their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers guard Austin Reaves, foreground, drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers guard Austin Reaves gets to the basket for a layup against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers center Dwight Howard scores in front of San Antonio Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich signals to his players during the first half of their game against the Lakers on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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The Lakers’ Malik Monk gets to the basket as the San Antonio Spurs’ Keldon Johnson defends during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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The San Antonio Spurs’ Zach Collins defends as the Lakers’ Talen Horton-Tucker tries to score during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers guard Russell Westbrook works the ball around San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony is fouled as he drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones, left, and forward Keldon Johnson during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers guard Russell Westbrook jumps to the basket past the San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray, right, during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) is fouled by San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins (23) as he drives to the basket during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers forward LeBron James eats a snack while sitting on the bench during the first half of their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in San Antonio. James sat out the game with knee soreness. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers center Dwight Howard protects the ball as the San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray defends during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers guard Russell Westbrook drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray during the first half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is fouled by Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, right, as he drives to the basket during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson is fouled by Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony as he drives to the basket during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker scores past San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Woodard II during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Lakers forward Stanley Johnson, right, strips the ball from the San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich confers with Tre Jones before he enters the game against the Lakers during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones is pressured by Lakers guard Avery Bradley during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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The San Antonio Spurs’ Josh Primo blocks a shot by the Lakers’ Malik Monk during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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The San Antonio Spurs’ Dejounte Murray tries to keep his balance after stepping past Lakers guard Austin Reaves and toward Lakers center Dwight Howard during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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The San Antonio Spurs’ Jack Landale (34) dunks next to teammate Keldon Johnson as Lakers guard Austin Reaves watches during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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The Lakers’ Malik Monk celebrates after hitting a 3-point shot against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers guard Malik Monk celebrates after scoring against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich argues a call during the second half of their game against the Lakers on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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The San Antonio Spurs’ Keldon Johnson dunks over Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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The San Antonio Spurs’ Keldon Johnson celebrates after dunking over Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, left, during the second half on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, left, reacts after being called for a foul during the second half of their game against the Spurs on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, right, talks with Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale after their game on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, center, talks with Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, right, and assistant coach David Fizdale, left, after their game on Monday night in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, center, is congratulated by Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, right, and Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale after Popovich tied the NBA record for career regular-season wins (1,335) by an NBA head coach after the Spurs defeated the Lakers, 117-110, on Monday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
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Lakers forward LeBron James warms up before a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in San Antonio. James sat out with knee soreness. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO — Looking at the hole in their lineup, the Lakers saw 29.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists they had to replace.
Coach Frank Vogel reasoned no one could take on that production by themselves, so the Lakers did it by committee, with five players scoring at least 13 points, with five players with five or more rebounds, and whoever could make a play contributing assists.
But in the end, the Lakers still needed a closer. And that’s where LeBron James was missed the most.
A competitive effort in San Antonio fell apart late as the Lakers lost to the Spurs, 117-110, the team’s eighth loss in its last 10 games. As James sat on the sideline with knee pain wearing a dark hoodie and sunglasses, the Lakers tightened up for just 18 points in the fourth as scrappy San Antonio – which could conceivably catch them in the Western Conference standings – pulled away.
It was history for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who with his 1,335th win tied Don Nelson for the NBA’s all-time regular-season record. But it was just another tough-to-stomach loss for the Lakers, who were tied with nine minutes remaining, in a season that’s becoming uncomfortably full of them.
“One step forward, one step back, one step forward, one step back, five steps back, a couple steps forward,” Malik Monk said with a sigh. “We keep doing the same thing.”
While the Lakers, who have not won consecutive games in two months, formed an impressive effort among their pack, no one truly rose above. While San Antonio’s lone All-Star Dejounte Murray authored a 26-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist night with three steals, the Lakers’ leading scorer was Talen Horton-Tucker with 18 points.
Russell Westbrook, the last healthy member of the team’s envisioned “Big Three,” had an impressive start, but he didn’t stick the landing. He scored 14 of his 17 points and had five of his six assists in the first three quarters despite first-half foul trouble; in the fourth, he was 1 for 6. One of Vogel’s biggest critiques – that the Lakers were overly aggressive attacking the rim without looking to pass – seemed targeted at least in part at Westbrook, who drove in on one ill-fated possession with four Spurs defenders in the paint.
But it was also optimistic to expect the Lakers to win without James, given that just two nights before he was dropping 56 points on the Golden State Warriors, closing out the fourth with three of his six 3-pointers. Without him, those late fireworks just weren’t there.
“A lot of scrambling,” Westbrook said of how the Lakers adjusted to playing without James on late notice. “Some stuff hurt us in the fourth, but I thought we did a good job of doing the best that we could boxing out and different things of that nature.”
The Lakers also struggled to guard the Spurs one-on-one, which reached a tipping point late in the game. Seven-foot Jakob Poeltl scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter largely against a smaller lineup with Carmelo Anthony playing center.
While Anthony had moments of defensive intensity and muscled in for a pair of fourth-quarter blocked shots, the Lakers had no clear answer for Poeltl’s size in the post. Even when fouled, he was 6 for 8 at the free-throw line.
Despite a size disadvantage for most of the night (Dwight Howard started by played less than 18 minutes), the Lakers were most effective driving into the paint: They scored 60 to San Antonio’s 64 paint points, evening the edge with a fast-paced, aggressive attack.
The game began without much structure: Two short-handed teams running up and down the court. James’ sense of control was missing in the back-and-forth that more resembled AAU than NBA.
But the Spurs were first to seize control, running off nine unanswered points to close out the first quarter, and early into the second, the Lakers were down by double figures – a position they’ve been in for eight straight games.
The Lakers have been good at making a good effort after getting down, but the pattern is getting old. And this time, James wasn’t available to suit up and help them finish at the end.
“You miss somebody like Bron who draws so much attention out there on the defensive end, and he opens the court up for everybody else,” Anthony said. “That’s what we missed.”
“I have to look at the tape but I thought we forced at the rim.” Frank Vogel on the #Lakers‘ offense down the stretch. pic.twitter.com/cLgonyKxEv
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 8, 2022
“I don’t think we did a good job of keeping [their bigs] off the glass.” Malik Monk talks about the difference-makers for the Spurs down the stretch. @LakersReporter pic.twitter.com/jjX0NP0T43
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 8, 2022
https://t.co/M0Rdve6ndH pic.twitter.com/5grjbCuRbS
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 8, 2022
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