Aldridge Gets 23 As Spurs Hold Off Lakers, 116-107
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LaMarcus Aldridge scored 23 points, Kawhi Leonard added 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-107 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.
Tony Parker had 16 points and seven assists for the Spurs, who improved to 7-0 on the road this season with their sixth consecutive win over the Lakers.
Lou Williams scored 24 points and Nick Young added 20 for the Lakers, who played without injured leading scorer D'Angelo Russell for the first time this season.
Los Angeles still kept it close until the final minutes, when Aldridge and Leonard took turns hitting big shots before Parker buried a clinching 17-footer with 33.6 seconds left.
Pau Gasol scored 16 points in his first trip to Staples Center with the Spurs.
Jordan Clarkson scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half while the Lakers rallied, but San Antonio coolly went 18 for 19 at the free throw line to hang on.
The Lakers began a stretch of 18 games in 30 days with only their third loss in nine games.
The Spurs blew an early 13-point lead, but took control in the third quarter while making 11 consecutive shots. San Antonio stretched its lead to 91-76 while scoring 39 points in the third quarter on 14-for-19 shooting.
D-LO OUT
Russell has a sore left knee, and the Lakers elected to rest their point guard out of caution. Coach Luke Walton doesn't expect the injury to be a long-term problem, although the Lakers' brutal schedule over the next month won't help. The second-year pro leads the Lakers' balanced lineup with 16.8 points and 4.7 assists per game.
Jose Calderon started in Russell's place, scoring five points while playing only 14 minutes.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Coach Gregg Popovich won his 1,099th game to pass Larry Brown for seventh place on the NBA's career wins list. ... Gasol got another warm ovation in Los Angeles, where he won two NBA championships as Kobe Bryant's right-hand man in 2009 and 2010. The 7-foot Spaniard was booed late in his Lakers career, but has been welcomed back enthusiastically since his departure as a free agent to Chicago. ... Former USC big man Dewayne Dedmon has a sprained left knee and didn't make the trip with San Antonio.
Lakers: Los Angeles recalled center Ivica Zubac from its D-League affiliate, but the rookie didn't dress for this game. ... Rookie Brandon Ingram had a rough night. The No. 2 pick missed his first seven shots before finishing with four points on 1-of-9 shooting.
UP NEXT
Spurs: A weekend off and a visit from rival Dallas on Monday.
Lakers: The homestand continues with a visit from Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night.
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