Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk say they can’t believe how many Lakers fans invaded the Spurs arena

It didn’t take a finely-tuned ear on Tuesday night to hear Lakers fans in attendance in San Antonio. On their first road trip of the season, fans in purple and gold came in droves to cheer on the Lakers on the road, and it was noticeable.

When Malik Monk buried a go-ahead 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, the cheers were louder than perhaps any other point in the night. When Russell Westbrook threw down a vicious slam in overtime, his screams were mirrored by the hoard of Lakers fans in attendance.

Ultimately, the Lakers came away with a memorable comeback victory over the Spurs, 125-121 on the back of big nights from Anthony Davis, Westbrook, Monk. After the game, the latter two players remarked on just how load the Lakers fans were on the night.

“It was like a home game,” Monk said. “It was like a home game, man. Never seen nothing like it before besides when they were playing us when I was in Charlotte. It’s crazy. It’s a crazy feeling. It makes us feel more comfortable. It lets us relax like we’re at home. We definitely felt that.”

For Westbrook specifically, it was a very different feeling after spending a long career of being booed on the road.

“I’ll tell you, it’s different for me,” Westbrook said. “I’m not used to people cheering me on the road. It was a different experience for me, which is good. Lakers fans all across the world, which is an amazing feeling. Tonight they represented.”

Despite the mass amount of Lakers fans in attendance, Tuesday’s game wasn’t without big moments for the hometown crowd, particularly late in the third quarter as the host Spurs started putting distance between themselves and the visitors.

But it was following that run by the hosts that showed just how many, and how loud, Lakers fans were in attendance. As the purple and gold began their comeback in the fourth quarter, the energy began to change in a way that wouldn’t typically happen in road games. The crescendo of energy eventually exploded on Monk’s 3-pointer as the Lakers took the lead back and carried throughout the final minutes of regulation and overtime.

It’s a unique type of experience Lakers fans create for the team on the road that few, if any, other franchises have. At virtually every road game, perhaps save for the one in Boston, Lakers fans come out in droves to show their support and help negate some of the home court advantage.

On Tuesday, it helped play a small part in the Lakers comeback and was noticeable to anyone watching the game and even those playing in it.

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