By ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson had 27 points, Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 107-91, on Wednesday night, Jan. 7.
San Antonio moved into second place in the Western Conference despite shooting 4 for 25 on 3-pointers.
LeBron James didn’t play due to arthritis and sciatica as Los Angeles’ three-game winning streak came to an end.
Calf strains also sidelined Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura for the Lakers.
Jake LaRavia, with 16 points, and Jaxson Hayes, with 10, were the only other Lakers to score in double figures against the Spurs.
Wembanyama was listed as questionable after returning Tuesday from a two-game absence due to a hyperextended left knee. He had 30 points in 20 minutes in a 106-105 loss at Memphis and followed that up with his 15th double-double this season.
San Antonio went on an 11-4 run midway through the third quarter for a 71-59 lead. Johnson and Stephon Castle combined for nine points in the run.
Castle finished with 15 points and De’Aaron Fox added 14.
Both teams were on the second night of a back-to-back game.
The Lakers disrupted alley-oop attempts to Castle and Luke Kornet in the opening minutes.
While the Spurs struggled to complete what has become a go-to move this season, Hayes threw in a reverse dunk in front of Wembanyama off a half-court, alley-oop pass from Doncic.
Doncic had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while playing all but four minutes in the first half. He finished with his 86th career triple-double in the regular season, which is seventh in league history.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 46 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Utah Jazz 129-125 in overtime to snap a two-game losing skid.
Gilgeous-Alexander calmly made a shot from near the free-throw line at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, then scored nine points in the extra period. The reigning MVP increased his streak of games with at least 20 points to 109, the second-longest run in NBA history.
Chet Holmgren had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Williams scored 17 points and Ajay Mitchell added 16 for defending champion Oklahoma City.
The Thunder had dropped six of their previous 12 after starting the season 24-1. The most significant recent blemish was a 124-97 loss to struggling Charlotte on Tuesday for their second straight loss. The Thunder haven’t lost three consecutive regular-season games since April 2024.
Lauri Markkanen had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Utah. Keyonte George added 25 points and 11 assists and Jusuf Nurkic chipped in 15 points and 15 rebounds as the Jazz lost their fifth straight.
Oklahoma City led by 20 in the second quarter, but that margin was trimmed to 58-53 by halftime. Utah started off hot in the second half, and a layup by Nurkic gave the Jazz a 70-69 lead.
Oklahoma City trailed by eight with just over five minutes remaining before chipping away.
A reverse putback by Markkanen with three seconds left in regulation, at the end of the 24-second shot clock, put the Jazz up 114-112. The shot was reviewed and deemed good before Gilgeous-Alexander’s clutch shot kept the game going.
