The San Antonio Spurs dropped their second straight game on Wednesday night, falling to 5–2 after opening the season with five consecutive wins. Despite entering the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead over the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio unraveled late as Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton took control.
Ayton delivered a steady two-way performance, posting 22 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Doncic nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 35 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. His defensive activity also proved critical, as he collected five steals to help expose one of San Antonio’s biggest weaknesses: turnovers.
The Spurs committed 19 turnovers in the loss, many of them unforced. Second-year guard Stephon Castle accounted for six, while Justin Champagnie added four. Even Victor Wembanyama, typically poised with the ball, struggled with five turnovers of his own. The giveaways repeatedly halted San Antonio’s offensive rhythm and fueled Los Angeles’ late-game surge.
Wembanyama, who has been impactful all season, had a quieter performance by his standards. He finished with 19 points on 5-for-14 shooting, along with eight rebounds, three assists and one block. His efficiency issues, paired with the team’s turnover problems, left the Spurs unable to counter Los Angeles’ momentum.
"Personally, I haven't seen this kind of defense from teams," Wembanyama said. "So we need to adapt as a collective. In the Phoenix game, it was the case as well. We got stalled out sometimes. We're learning.
"Mostly, it was the doubling," he added. "They were ready. They probably walked in shootaround through all our situations because it seemed like they were very ready. It felt like they let me catch the ball, but they were ready to double to rotate after that."
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The continued struggles highlight how urgently San Antonio needs De’Aaron Fox back in the lineup.
Acquired from the Sacramento Kings to be the Spurs’ long-term floor leader, Fox has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from a right hamstring strain. His return is expected to bring stability to San Antonio’s young backcourt and significantly reduce the turnover issues that have plagued the team early in the season.
A one-time All-Star, Fox averaged 25.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds with the Kings last season. In 17 games with the Spurs, he averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
As they await Fox’s availability, the Spurs will return home to face the Houston Rockets on Friday night in what projects to be a competitive matchup.
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