Lakers 99, Spurs 83
Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol combined for 32 points in the first half, and the Los Angeles Lakers jumped all over the San Antonio Spurs for an easy 99-83 victory at AT&T Center on Sunday afternoon.
Bryant finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Gasol scored 21 as the Lakers (45-19) won their seventh straight and ended the Spurs’ franchise-record 22-game home winning streak. San Antonio (51-12), which has the best record in the league, last lost at home to Dallas on Nov. 26.
Gary Neal led the way with 15 points while Tony Parker and George Hill added 14 apiece for the Spurs, who had won five of six but dropped to 29-3 at home.
The Lakers had lost the first two games to the Spurs this season, but the two-time defending champions wasted little time setting the tone in this one. Los Angeles closed the first quarter with a 22-3 run to take a 34-13 lead. The Lakers hit 15 of 25 from the floor and gathered six offensive rebounds on their 10 missed shots.
Los Angeles kept the pedal down in the second quarter. San Antonio got no closer than 19, and the Lakers pushed the lead to 65-36 on a 3-pointer by Derek Fisher with 27 seconds left in the half.
Parker had 12 points in the first half, but the other four San Antonio starters combined for just eight on 4-of-18 shooting as the Spurs trailed by 28 at the break. The deficit was 29 after the third.
The Spurs showed some heart in the fourth, rallying enough to force Lakers coach Phil Jackson to insert his starters back into the game for a few minutes.