Three Takeaways: Spurs Fall Just Short Against Lakers As Growing Pains Continue

LOS ANGELES — The San Antonio Spurs are still figuring out how to win tough games on the road, and Wednesday night offered another harsh lesson.

Despite a late surge, San Antonio fell 118-116 to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, closing out their two-game trip with a second consecutive loss. After a 5–0 start, the Spurs have now dropped two straight — and both have followed a similar script: moments of brilliance overshadowed by untimely mistakes.

“I thought their competitiveness was great,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. “I think attention to detail, some decision-making, and discipline needs to improve. I thought at the end, they were more locked in. But we still had some punishable miscues.”

Here are three takeaways from the Spurs’ loss to the Lakers:

Wembanyama Feeling the Physicality

For the second game in a row, Victor Wembanyama found himself out of rhythm — and out of sorts.

The Lakers threw size, muscle, and experience at the 20-year-old, with DeAndre Ayton, Jackson Hayes, and Marcus Smart taking turns bumping him off his spots. The result: a stat line that looked solid (19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block) but came with visible frustration.

Wembanyama fouled out in the fourth quarter, picking up his sixth after an ill-timed charge. He spent long stretches drifting around the perimeter rather than operating inside, where the Lakers made every touch a battle.

“He’ll be fine,” Johnson said of his star player. “We need to get him the ball in better spots and get to our starting spots earlier. He needs to be more demonstrative and demand the ball.”

Wembanyama, for his part, didn’t sound shaken — but did acknowledge the adjustment he’s facing.

“There’s no worrying really,” he said. “The game feels fast right now... We’re going to catch up to it, of course, but personally, I haven’t seen this kind of defense from teams.”

Close, But Not Clean

San Antonio didn’t just hang around — they led by as many as 12 points before the game unraveled. A mix of turnovers and defensive lapses flipped that cushion into a late-game collapse, the kind that continues to test this young team’s ability to close.

The miscues were costly and familiar. Wembanyama threw a pass directly to Luka Doncic for one of his five turnovers, while Stephon Castle struggled through six of his own. Together, the duo accounted for 11 of the Spurs’ 19 giveaways.

“We had a rough second half,” Castle said. “We had a lead and let them get back into the game with some free throws. When we have a lead, we need to hold that lead and not let other teams back into the game.”

It’s part of the learning curve for a group still adjusting to game speed and late-game execution. The effort is there; the polish isn’t — yet.

Welcome Re-Enforcements

There was at least one encouraging sign for San Antonio: help is finally on the way.

Jeremy Sochan, Kelly Olynyk, and Lindy Waters III all made their season debuts Wednesday night, giving the Spurs a deeper, more versatile rotation. Sochan’s energy was immediately noticeable on defense, Olynyk provided veteran spacing and passing in the frontcourt, and Waters added another perimeter threat off the bench.

Their return should help stabilize the second unit and reduce the pressure on the Spurs’ young core — especially as the schedule tightens in November.

Up next:

The Spurs are now 5-2 on the season and will return to the court on Friday when they open NBA Cup play against the Houston Rockets (5-2) at 6:30 p.m. at the Frost Bank Center.