Lakers takeaways: Marcus Smart a bright spot despite loss to Spurs

LeBron James’ emphatic one-handed dunk brought the crowd to Crypto.com Arena at his feet. That left Spurs’ Luke Kornet shrinking under James’ intense gaze and scream. He will remain in the trailer for the future 41-year-old, but for this evening, James wanted him to take a back seat.

Because even though that moment left his teammates jumping on the bench and gasping for air, it did nothing to prevent a Lakers loss.

“It was just a game,” James said after the Lakers lost 132-119 to San Antonio on Wednesday, eliminating them from the NBA Cup game and setting up a regular game in Phoenix on Sunday at 5 p.m.

The Lakers (17-7) went 2-3 during an eye-opening five-game stretch against teams with winning records and needed fourth-quarter heroics to pull off the two wins, which came by a total of seven points. The Lakers’ plus-1.5 margin ranks 15th in the NBA after their last three losses averaged 17 points.

“We really have to look in the mirror and figure out what we’re going to do,” guard Marcus Smart said. “We’re going to lie down and get punked or we’re going to fight back. And I’m not the one who’s going to lie down and get punked.”

Here are three takeaways from this loss:

Marcus Smart adds a spark

After missing six games with a back injury, Smart returned to score a season-high 26 points in 27 minutes, making eight of 14 three-pointers with three rebounds and one assist.

Smart struggled with injuries while in Memphis and Washington after being traded from Boston in 2023. He hoped that coming to the Lakers, with their perennial championship ambitions, could help revitalize his career. He got off to an uneven start, missing two of the first five games and shooting just 25.4 percent from three-point range overall.

He then hit his highest three-point total in a game since the January 5, 2024 game against the Lakers.

“All I can do is control how I prepare, and that’s make the shot,” Smart said. “I did it, it’s all good. Tonight was the night for me, and hopefully it starts a trend for me to start taking shots consistently.”

Playing his most minutes since Nov. 14, Smart said his back “felt good” in the game. His only physical flaw was finding his breath after two weeks of absence. Coach JJ Redick, who called Smart a tone-setter on defense, praised Smart’s “attention factor” even when the Lakers fell behind by 18 in the second quarter.

Smart scored no points during a late second quarter that cut the Spurs’ lead from 17 to eight, but he played a key role on both ends of the floor. His block on De’Aaron Fox’s shot led to an alley-oop dunk by Jaxson Hayes. Smart screened two Spurs to clear the way for Luka Doncic on a driving layup with 1:51 left in the second quarter. Doncic immediately turned and pointed at Smart in appreciation.

“When he guards, when he talks to us, we listen,” said Doncic, who finished with 35 points and eight assists, including three on smart three-pointers in the third quarter. “I just have to be a little more like what he does.”

The bench falls flat

Aside from Smart’s 26 points, the Lakers bench produced just five points, mostly thanks to a Dalton Knecht three-point basket in garbage time.

The Lakers have prolific scorers on their bench. Jake LaRavia’s 27-point outburst at Minnesota made him a viral sensation and earned him a customary “Who’s No. 12?” » T-shirt designed by general manager Rob Pelinka. Gabe Vincent shot 55.6% from three-point range during the preseason before suffering a sprained ankle in the third game of the regular season.

But LaRavia and Vincent combined for just two shots Wednesday. The only other regular rotation player to score off the bench was Hayes.

Redick attributed some of the bench struggles to San Antonio’s defensive coverages. Despite not having Victor Wembanyama (calf), the Spurs used Kornet the same way Phoenix used Mark Williams to challenge Doncic and Austin Reaves to shoot in the paint instead of letting the star guards play for others.

Reaves struggled offensively for the second straight game, shooting six for 16 for 15 points. Reaves, who leads the team in total minutes while also ranking second in points per game with 27.8, has made nine of 32 shots over the last two games.

Even Rui Hachimura, who had scored in double figures in each of the previous three games and had all three wins in Toronto, managed just two shots in the first three quarters on Wednesday. He finished with a quiet eight points.

Redick marveled at how Hachimura can go long periods of a match without touching the ball, then make crucial shots. His teammates asked him for advice on how to stay ready when coming off the bench.

“[The ball is] It’ll happen eventually,” Hachimura said before Wednesday’s match. “And then that moment comes, you have to make some moves. You have to do something, so you don’t want to be surprised when it happens. [to you].”

No strings attached

The Lakers entered Wednesday’s game ranked 21st in defensive rating. They were the fifth-worst team in three-point shooting defense, with teams shooting 38.2% from three. The Lakers were even worse on Wednesday as San Antonio (17-7) shot 44.7% from three-point range.

Opponents have shot over 40% from beyond the arc in six of the last seven games against the Lakers. The Pelicans and Celtics both shot better than 50% from three.

Without Wembanyama, the Spurs showed off their dynamic backcourt, led by Fox. The speedy guard who missed the last game against the Lakers had 20 points while Stephon Castle, last year’s rookie, dropped 30 points with 10 rebounds and six assists against the Lakers, who simply had no answer for the speedy and athletic guards.

“Being able to contain the basketball is probably the hardest thing for our team right now,” Redick said.

Doncic and Reaves have become the most successful duo in the league, but the guards will never be known for their defensive prowess. James is well past his time consistently standing out on defense. If the Lakers can compete defensively, it has to be as a unit, James stressed.

“Five guys are on a rope,” James said. “Obviously you can’t do it individually. It has to be five guys on a rope, with communication still being at an all-time high.”