NBA Cup - James has 4 consecutive triple-doubles, Paul assists more than 12,000, Wenban 28+14, Spurs lose to Lakers

On November 16, Beijing time, the 2024-25 regular season NBA Cup Western Group B game was underway, and the Lakers scored double-doubles with six players in the game, and finally defeated the Spurs 120-115 on the road, and the Lakers ushered in four consecutive wins. LeBron James contributed 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists, which was the longest in his career for four consecutive triple-doubles. In addition, Chris Paul contributed 11 points and 11 assists, bringing his career regular season total assists to 12,008, becoming the third player in NBA history to exceed 12,000 assists, the others being Jason Kidd (12,091) and John Stockton (15,806).

Statistics

Lakers: James started this game and played 1,504 career regular season games, tying John Stockton (1,504) and tied for fifth place in NBA all-time regular season appearances, the top four were Dirk Nowitzki (1,522 games), Vince Carter (1,541 games), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560 games), Robert Parrish (1,611 games); Anthony Davis had 40 points and 12 rebounds, Rivers 19 and Russell 13

Spurs: Wembanyama 28 points, 14 rebounds and five turnovers; Cosby had 22 points and Vassell had 15

Background

After the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies 128-123 in their last game, they won a three-game winning streak, and during this winning streak, James contributed three consecutive triple-doubles, becoming the oldest player in league history to score three consecutive triple-doubles. Speaking about his consecutive triple-doubles, James bluntly said that it feels good to be able to play the game he loves at a high level. Speaking about the NBA Cup group stage against the Spurs, James said that winning in San Antonio was not easy, but for him personally, he hoped that Popovich could recover soon.

The Spurs have also been in good form lately, winning two straight games after beating the Wizards 139-130 in their last game. Wembanyama hit eight three-pointers in the game, scoring a career-high 50 points and becoming the only player in Spurs history to shoot at least six three-pointers in three consecutive games.

Game recap

The Spurs at home quickly got into the game, and Wembanyama scored three goals in a row to lead the Spurs to an 11-0 start. Knecht's layup helped the Lakers break the deadlock, and James followed suit to stop the Spurs. At 8 minutes and 26 seconds, Chris Paul assisted Wembanyama to complete an empty dunk, which was Paul's third assist in this game, so that Paul's career total of regular season assists reached 12,000, becoming the third player in NBA history to exceed 12,000 assists. A few rounds later, Paul hit a three-pointer assisted by Wembanyama to defend the Spurs' double-digit lead. Thick eyebrows' back-to-back baskets and Knecht's three-pointers pushed the Lakers to 19-26. Johnson and Vassell were clearly unable to stop the Lakers' advance, and Thick Eyebrows led the team to another 10-0 offensive wave. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers overtook the Spurs 31-30. It is worth mentioning that Thick Eyebrow shot 5 of 9 in the first quarter, 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 16 points.

In the second quarter, James turned into a commander, and one person delivered four assists in a row, directing an 11-2 offensive surge, and the Lakers led 42-32 and forced the Spurs to stop. After the game restarted, Wembanyama and others teamed up to hit three three-pointers, and the Spurs chased the score to 41-42. At the critical moment, James's three-point shot helped the Lakers stabilize their morale, and then assisted Rivers on the outside, and the thick eyebrows scored 8 points on consecutive free throws, and the Lakers regained an 8-point advantage. The Spurs did not show weakness, Vassell and Castle used three points in quick succession to help the Spurs bite the score, but the Lakers immediately returned the favor in the same way. With 14 seconds left in the quarter, Thick Eyebrows and James staged a wonderful air connection dunk. At the end of the first half, the Lakers led the Spurs 68-60.

With 6 minutes and 8 seconds left in the quarter, James assisted Rivers to shoot a three-pointer, which was James' 10th assist in this game, and his personal data in this game became 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, which was also his fourth consecutive triple-double, setting a career record. Vassell and Barnes hit back-to-back three-pointers to make it 81-82. At the critical moment, Knecket's dunk helped the Lakers stabilize their morale, and then Russell, thick eyebrows and others also made contributions. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led the Spurs 93-86.

In the final quarter, when the Lakers extended their advantage to 7 points, Paul immediately stepped up, first hitting a three-pointer, then making a foul on the outside, and hitting all 3 free throws. At 8:23, Johnson hit a three-pointer into the net, and the Spurs chased the score to 100-101. At 7 minutes and 18 seconds, Thick Eyebrows hit a three-pointer with the assistance of James. At 6 minutes and 41 seconds, Wembanyama collided with thick eyebrows while defending and immediately returned to the players' tunnel for inspection. Thankfully, it's fine. Subsequently, the two sides alternated between going back and forth. At 3 minutes and 44 seconds, the thick eyebrows hit another three-pointer, and the Lakers overtook 111-109. After returning from a timeout, Wembanyama finished the attack with an assist from Paul. Immediately after, Castle hit two free throws to put the Spurs up 113-111. At the critical moment, Rivers' three-point and thick eyebrow dunk helped the Lakers stabilize their morale. At 47 seconds, Paul was whistled for an offensive foul. With 25.1 seconds left, Thick Eyebrows assisted James to score a layup, and the Lakers regained a three-point lead. With Castle missing a three-pointer, James grabbed a key rebound. In the end, the Lakers narrowly beat the Spurs.

Both sides start

Lakers: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Cam Reddish, Austin Rivers, Dalton Knecht

Spurs: Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul, Julian Champney, Harrison Barnes, Stephen Castle