The Los Angeles Lakers face the San Antonio Spurs on January 7, 2026, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, with tip-off around 9:30 PM ET. Both teams sit atop the Western Conference standings, Lakers at 22-11 and Spurs at 25-10, setting up a marquee clash between high-powered offenses led by Luka Dončić for LA and Victor Wembanyama for SA.​

Team Standings

Lakers hold third in the West at 22-11 (.667), on a two-game win streak, while Spurs lead at 25-10 (.714) despite a recent loss.​

Both teams play very different styles, which could make for a thrilling battle. The Lakers like to take their time, running smart plays in the half-court. They shine in pick-and-roll actions, where guards drive to the basket and bigs roll for easy scores. Their shooters space the floor well, keeping defenses honest from three-point range.

The Spurs, on the other hand, love to run fast. They grab rebounds and push the ball upcourt quickly to catch the Lakers off guard. Their young players bring athletic wings that zoom in for dunks and kick out for open threes. San Antonio mixes it up with attacks at the rim and shots from deep, making them hard to predict.

Spurs boast a strong 12-5 home record, while Lakers are 12-5 on the road, promising a defensive battle given recent trends.

Key Players

Luka Dončić leads the Lakers with 33.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 8.7 APG, supported by Deandre Ayton at 8.4 RPG. Spurs rely on Victor Wembanyama's 24.3 PPG and 11.7 RPG, plus Harrison Barnes' steady 13.9 PPG off the bench. Watch for Dončić vs. Wembanyama in the paint and transition.

Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs - (Spurs ML)

The Frost Bank Center will be electric Wednesday night as the San Antonio Spurs host the Los Angeles Lakers. While the Lakers still command headlines with the star power of the Luka Dončić-LeBron James duo, they are running headfirst into a San Antonio squad that has evolved into a legitimate Western Conference juggernaut, currently sitting at No. 2 in the West.

The Spurs have built a system of clinical execution and elite consistency. Even with Victor Wembanyama (knee) listed as questionable after hyperextending his knee on New Year’s Eve, San Antonio’s "win-by-committee" infrastructure has remained rock solid. A massive part of that stability is All-Star floor general De'Aaron Fox, who has been surgical lately, averaging 21.7 PPG and nearly 6 assists. Fox’s relentless pace and veteran poise provide a challenge that the Lakers' depleted backcourt consistently struggles to contain.

When you pair Fox with reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, the Spurs possess a two-way edge that is impossible to ignore. Castle bullied LA in their last meeting, a 132–119 Spurs victory in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, where he dropped a dominant 30-point, 10-rebound double-double. With Austin Reaves (calf strain) and Rui Hachimura (calf) both ruled out for at least a month, the Lakers' rotation is dangerously thin. In that December matchup, San Antonio’s bench dismantled LA’s second unit, and that depth advantage has only widened with the Lakers' recent injury woes.

San Antonio is 12–5 at home and boasts a +5.4 Net Rating that screams elite reliability. Even if Wemby sits, you are getting peak value on a disciplined team that moves the ball better and plays stouter defense than an injury-ravaged Lakers squad. Take the Spurs to protect home court.

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