Stephon Castle, the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year, led the Spurs to a 119-132 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to advance to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas.
The Spurs defeated the Californians without their star Victor Wembanyama, who has been sidelined for almost a month with a left calf strain suffered on November 14.
Luka Doncic (35 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists), LeBron James (19 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks),Marcus Smart (26 points with 8 of 14 three-pointers) andAustin Reaves (15 points) could not prevent the Lakers’ defeat, who have lost their third game in the last 12.
The Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 and went undefeated in the group stage this autumn before being eliminated by the Spurs.
Spurs show they can win without Wembanyama
Stephon Castle (30 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists), De’Aaron Fox (20 points), Keldon Johnson (17 points and 8 rebounds) and Julian Champagnie (16 points and 7 rebounds) were the best of the Spurs, who held off the final onslaught from the Los Angeles Lakers, who came within eight points in the final quarter.
The Spurs have won nine of the last 12 games they have played without Wembanyama
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