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The last time the Spurs met the Lakers, it was a parade to the free throw line, with 66 called fouls and 84 free throw attempts. The calls weren’t particularly one-sided, with the Lakers taking 44 to the Spurs’ 40, but it made the game hard to watch
and impossible to play with any kind of rhythm on offense. Luka took a game-high 17 free throw attempts on his way to 35 points, while no Spurs player took more than 11. Victor Wembanyama was the high scorer that night for the Silver and Black, but he won’t be available tonight.
Every time the Spurs play a game this season, I go to the NBA official injury reports page to check to see who will be available for both teams. For this game, you can see some important news: an important player will be returning to the lineup tonight. That’s right, Jordan McLaughlin is questionable, but should be able to play tonight, and that’s great news. Only one player is out tonight for the Silver and Black, and you probably already guessed it. Victor Wembanyama will not be available tonight, even though the team has said that he’s close to returning. It would be great to see him tonight, but maybe he’ll be available for the second cup game on Saturday in Las Vegas if the Spurs win, or the loser’s bracket game which will probably be played on Monday against most likely the Suns.
The Lakers aren’t just Luka Doncic, because tonight they will also have Austin Reaves and LeBron James available, who were both out in the first matchup. With the Spurs missing Victor Wembanyama and the Lakers at full strength, this could be a tough night for the good guys, but it will be interesting to see the matchup between Stephon Castle and Doncic—Castle has the size and strength to bother Luka, but if he plays with too much physicality he could get into early foul trouble. I predict a big night for De’Aaron Fox, he wasn’t available for the last game and he always plays well against the Lakers. If the Spurs can hang with the Lakers for three quarters, they can pull out a win, because Fox can take over the game in the final minutes, and dominate the clutch minutes.
Open question: Has the Lakers’ NBA Cup court been repaired for this game, or will they play on the regular season court? It was previously damaged, and I haven’t heard if they were able to repair it in time for tonight’s game.
Game Prediction:
At some point during the game, Mitch Johnson will get close to the court and breathe on Luka Doncic, and will be assessed a technical foul for being too close to him. In the process of complaining about the call, he will breathe on Doncic a second time, which will result in a second tech and an ejection.
GO SPURS GOOOO!!!
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (NBA Cup quarterfinals)
December 10, 2025 | 9:00 PM CT
Streaming: Prime
TV: Amazon Prime
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