Spurs Slip Further from Playoffs in Loss to Lakers
Although the Spurs are not mathematically out of playoff contention, they took another step towards an early end to a dismal and injury riddled season Monday in LA.
The Spurs dropped Monday’s road game against the Lakers 125-109.
The Lakers; sans LeBron James, were led by Austin Reaves who had 30 points, including five three’s in the win. Luka Doncic flirted with another triple-double with 21 points, 14 assists, and 9 rebounds for the purple and gold.
Rookie guard Stephon Castle had 23 points to lead the Silver and Black while Devin Vassell scored 15 of his 17 in the first half for the Spurs, who have lost five of the last seven.
Defense was a problem for the third game since De’Aaron Fox was shut down for the season. The Lakers made 48.9% of their shots, including 19 3-pointers.
The Spurs made the decision to shut Fox down for the remainder of the season to undergo surgery to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie finger following last Wednesday’s 126-116 home win against Dallas. Fox had 32 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds in what would be his final game of the season.
The injury occurred during training camp in October, but Fox has played through the ailment all season.
Fox appeared in 62 games this season, 45 for the Kings and 17 for the Spurs. He averaged 25 points per game with Sacramento, but that number dipped to 19.7 points per game with San Antonio. He did, however, post the only 60-point game scored by any player all season back in November against Minnesota, a Kings’ franchise record.
The Spurs, who were in the playoff race earlier in the season, are now just 28-39 after going 4-6 in their last 10 games. They have fallen behind the ball and will likely be looking toward the 2025-26 season moving forward, as their top two weapons will be on the sideline for the remainder of the season.
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