Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) attempts to control a loose ball above San Antonio Spurs forward Drew Eubanks (14) in the second half at AT&T Centre in San Antonio October 26, 2021. — Reuters pic
LOS ANGELES, Oct 27 — The Los Angeles Lakers overcame the absence of LeBron James and an injury scare to Anthony Davis on Tuesday to beat the San Antonio Spurs in overtime as the Golden State Warriors extended their unbeaten start to the season.
Lakers star Davis finished with 35 points, 17 rebounds and four assists while Russell Westbrook weighed in with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 125-121 win over the Spurs in Texas.
But the Lakers, already without James, who was struggling with right ankle soreness, were given a fright late in the fourth quarter when Davis crumpled to the court clutching his right knee.
Davis later recovered to help the Lakers close out their overtime win.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel said afterwards the team would monitor Davis’ injury for a possible reaction.
“We’ll just have to see how sore it is,” Vogel said. “He just banged knees with one of their players. We’ll see how he responds overnight.”
Vogel meanwhile was pleased with how his side had battled back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
“We never lost belief, even when we were down, that we were going to win the game,” Vogel said. “We just persevered and got a big road win.”
In Oklahoma City, Stephen Curry scored 23 points as Golden State came from behind to extend their unbeaten start to the season with a 106-98 victory over the Thunder.
Curry added six rebounds and four assists while Andrew Wiggins added 21 points to make it four wins out of four for the Warriors. Oklahoma City remain winless through four games.
The Warriors recovered after a shaky first half display which left them trailing 59-48 at the break, before a dominant third quarter which saw them outscore the Thunder 33-17.
Otto Porter drained back-to-back three-pointers from the bench to close the third, transforming a one-point deficit into a five-point lead, while Damion Lee finished with 20 off the bench.
Warriors coach Steve Kerry blamed a “poor defensive showing” for his team’s first half struggles.
“What clicked was getting stops together,” Kerr said. “We weren’t clicking offensively, but the game starts at the defensive end, and we were not ready mentally ready.
“This is what happens in this league — you try to get up for every game, occasionally you have some letdowns. OKC played a great first half, and did everything right.
“But we’ve strung together four good wins and heading home we’re in a good spot. We know we’ve got to just keep it going — things can change in a hurry in this league.”
Elsewhere Tuesday, the New York Knicks finally ended a 15-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers, winning 112-99 at Madison Square Garden.
Kemba Walker’s 19-point haul led the Knicks, with French ace Evan Fournier adding 18 points and Julius Randle 16. It was New York’s first win over the Sixers since April 2017.
“I was waiting for this moment,” Walker said afterwards. “It’s the kind of moment I’ve dreamed of since I was a young kid, coming to a Knicks game and seeing how the crowd goes crazy. That was a great moment.”
Tobias Harris topped the Sixers scoring with 23 points as the reigning Eastern Conference champions continue to adjust in the absence of Ben Simmons, whose future at the club remains uncertain. — AFP