Lakers can’t win second straight game against Spurs, lose season series

The Los Angeles Lakers got their first win against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this week and seemed to have figured out why DeMar DeRozan and the rest of the team had their number.

But then, despite a near triple-double from LeBron James — who finished with 35 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds — the Lakers fell prey to some incredible shooting from the Spurs down the stretch as Davis Bertans (13 points, 4-7 from three) took advantage of defensive openings to make L.A. pay with a 133-120 loss.

The Lakers have now lost the season series to the Spurs 3-1, but the good news for the team is at least they don’t have to play San Antonio again this year, barring an unexpected playoff spot.

The Spurs bench combined for 54 points — 31 of which they scored in the fourth quarter, according to the Spectrum Sportsnet broadcast — and the Lakers’ bench couldn’t match that type of effort, as the reserves shot 8-19 in the game and couldn’t give the starters enough to pull out the victory.

According to Lakers PR, James and Lonzo Ball became the first pair of Lakers to each have 10 or more assists in a game since Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol did so in 2013, but it wasn’t enough as the team’s assists dried up at the same time their shooting slumped down the stretch as everyone on the floor missed three after three.

The Lakers will get the chance to start a new winning streak when they take on the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow night at 5:30. If their shooting can improve a bit and they get another strong performance from James, they might be able to pull one out.

All stats per NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.