Spurs 108, Lakers 95
LOS ANGELES -- Forward Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points and Kawhi Leonard had 18 as the San Antonio Spurs coasted to a 108-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.
Reserve guard Patty Mills added 15 points for the Spurs (38-6), who captured their season-high 13th win in a row. Guard Danny Green contributed 12 points, all of them coming on 3-pointers, and point guard Tony Parker chipped in 10 points.
Guards Lou Williams, Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell scored 16 points apiece for the Lakers (9-36), who lost their fifth straight and ninth in 10 games. Forward Julius Randle chipped in 12 points and 14 rebounds. Center Roy Hibbert also had 10 points.
Lakers forward Kobe Bryant managed just five points on 2-of-9 shooting and six assists in 27 minutes.
The Spurs, who beat the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, are 8-0 on the second end of back-to-back contests, the only NBA club with a perfect mark. They also have taken 15 of the last 18 from the Lakers.
The Lakers actually stayed within striking distance until late in the third quarter. They trailed 48-43 after Clarkson nailed a 3-pointer with 3:19 left in the second quarter, but the Spurs closed on an 8-0 run for a 56-43 advantage at the break. San Antonio outshot Los Angeles 47.7 percent to 39.5 percent in the first half. For the game, the Spurs made 50.6 percent of their shots to 45.2 for the Lakers. They also connected on 11 of 21 (52.4 percent) from 3-point range compared to 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) for Los Angeles.
In the third, the Lakers used a 9-1 run to pull within 67-61 after a Bryant 3-pointer with 5:13 remaining in the quarter, but San Antonio answered with a 20-8 surge for an 87-71 cushion heading into the final quarter.
Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. missed his third straight game with a sore right knee.
NOTES: Byron Scott and Gregg Popovich expressed empathy for coach David Blatt, who was fired earlier Friday by the Cleveland Cavaliers. "All of us in the business know how it works and we always feel bad when it comes to a colleague," Popovich said. "And this is another case, as usual, where he's a heck of a coach, where circumstances often dictate what happens to some coaches. It's got really nothing to do with their abilities." ... Today marks the 10th anniversary of Lakers F Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. ... San Antonio is the first NBA team to post 16 wins by 20 or more points in their opening 43 games. ... Los Angeles visits the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, while the Spurs have a showdown with the Golden State Warriors on Monday in Oakland.