The Lakers beat the Spurs by 2 points for their 5th consecutive victory, and Doncic set a 2-point record. In this battle, I discovered 4 indisputable facts.

On November 6, 2025, the Lakers met the Spurs at home. James and Reeves were injured and could not play. They relied entirely on Doncic and Ayton to support them. In the end, they narrowly won 118:116 and extended their five-game winning streak. The four quarters of this game were like a see-saw, and the comeback in the final quarter made people's palms sweat. Doncic set 2 records in this game. At the same time, I also discovered 4 indisputable facts in this game.

1, the fourth quarter: the Lakers came back from falling behind.

The Spurs came into high gear in the first quarter. Wenbanyama scored a tip-in after jumping the ball, and Champany made another three-pointer and broke through. Soon the score difference was stretched to 10:3. The Lakers seemed to be frozen at the beginning, but Doncic shot a three-pointer to break the game and then passed Ayton for a layup to pull back the point difference. By the end of the quarter, the Spurs kept scoring by passing the ball. The Lakers could only rely on Doncic to steal and counterattack, and Ayton to bite inside. After the first quarter, the Spurs led by 3 points at 29:26.

The Lakers suddenly picked up speed in the second quarter. Doncic passed three-pointers to Smart and Rui Hachimura, and both of them made the shots. Ayton even pushed Bunyama to the ground and grabbed the front board for a second attack, scoring 8 points in a single quarter. The Spurs started to make more mistakes, and the Lakers took advantage of the situation and hit a 12:4 climax to take the lead. The Spurs stabilized at the end of the quarter, but at halftime the Lakers still led by 1 point at 60:59.

In the third quarter, the Spurs completely exploded. Wenbanyama rushed inside and Barnes scored 11 points in a single quarter. He was also able to shoot from the outside. He scored 37 points in a single quarter, and the point difference once stretched to double digits. The Lakers struggled to score, relying on Doncic's free throws, Ayton's hard squeeze under the basket, and Smart's occasional counterattacks to score points. After the third quarter, the Spurs led 96:88 by 8 points and looked at the Lakers.

As a result, the fourth quarter became Doncic's show. He broke through and made free throws, and hit a key three-pointer to reduce the point difference to 1 point. Ayton completely locked up Bunyama, blocking shots and hitting hard, directly helping the Lakers overtake. The Spurs had too many fouls. Wenbanyama left the game with 6 fouls, and his strength suddenly dropped. At the last moment, Smart missed the line when serving, and the Spurs had a chance to kill with 1.2 seconds. As a result, Champany missed the free throw, and the Lakers narrowly secured the victory.

Second, data comparison in this game: Winning or losing by 2 points is all in the details.

In this game, the statistics of the two teams look similar, but winning lies in the details. The core statistics are basically even: the score is only 2 points away, the rebounds are 38, the assists are 22:23, the three-pointers are 13:10, and the Spurs' shooting percentage (48%) and three-point shooting percentage (39%) are slightly higher than the Lakers. But the Lakers had an advantage in three key points: blocked shots 5:1, second attack scoring 28:11, and penalty area scoring 44:38 - these three are all strong inside advantages.

What's even worse are the mistakes and fouls: the Lakers made 12 turnovers and the Spurs 19, which is equivalent to giving up 7 opportunities in vain; the Lakers made 34 free throws and the Spurs 31, both sides made 77% of the free throws. These 3 free throws were just short of the points; there were also fouls, the Spurs made 36 and the Lakers 30. The extra 6 fouls were all free throws for the Lakers. Relying on these details, the Lakers held on to their 2-point advantage until the end.

Third, the performance of the players in this game: The Lakers' dual-core team is flying, and the Spurs are really pulling their hips.

For the Lakers, Doncic played 41 minutes and scored 35 points, 9 rebounds, 13 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. His score was the highest in the team. His assists revitalized the entire team's offense. His steals also interrupted the Spurs' rhythm several times. He did not lose control on both offense and defense, which is the core of winning.

Ayton played 33 and a half points, scoring 22 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. He was so tough inside: 10 rebounds saved many second attack opportunities, and 2 blocks directly suppressed the Spurs' inside momentum. The Lakers' penalty area was able to stabilize because of his support.

Smart played 33 minutes and scored 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block. He was very practical both offensively and defensively: he could score by himself and pass the ball to his teammates. He also caused a foul on Vunbanyama when he was defending. When the Spurs were chasing points in the third quarter, he was the one who stood up and stabilized the situation.

Hachimura played 34 minutes, scoring 15 points and 2 rebounds. He could catch the ball and shoot from the outside, and his accuracy was particularly stable. When he was on the court, the Lakers' plus-minus value was +6, the highest in the team. As long as he was on the court, the team's offensive and defensive efficiency immediately went up. Hayes, who was on the bench, only played 14 minutes and scored 9 points and 4 rebounds, which was very efficient. However, substitutes such as Laravia and Vanderbilt had negative plus-minus numbers, and their performance was a little less interesting.

For the Spurs, Bunyama played 32 minutes and scored 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. The data looked okay, but he couldn't handle 5 turnovers. In the end, he committed 6 fouls and left the game. The plus-minus value was -2, and he was completely restricted by Ayton.

Castle played 37 minutes and scored 16 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. 8 assists were the Spurs' offensive engine, and his plus-minus value of +7 was the most stable in the team. Vassell scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, Champany had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and Barnes had 14 points and 6 rebounds. These three people scored enough, but their ability to connect the team was almost meaningless; Sohan scored 16 points, but he also committed 6 fouls and left the game. The plus-minus value was -6, which directly hindered the game.

The Spurs made 19 mistakes and committed 36 fouls. Many people scored in double figures. However, these detailed mistakes ruined the victory.

Four, I discovered four indisputable facts in this game. The Lakers are in really stable shape.

First of all, I have to talk about Doncic. This guy’s superstar quality can really stand the test. Not only did he withstand the game, he also set a bunch of records.. He played for more than 41 minutes in this game. He was double-teamed and guarded by the Spurs the whole time. He made 9 of 27 shots and his shooting rate was average. However, he scored 35 points by making 13 of 17 free throws. He also sent 9 rebounds, 13 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. He did not fall behind on both offense and defense. What's even more impressive is his record: he scored a total of 200 points in the first five games of the season, the third highest in history, second only to Chamberlain's two god-level performances, and 3 points more than Jordan's 197 points that year. At the same time, he also became the first player in the history of the Lakers to score 35 points, 10 assists, and 5 steals in a single game. This stat is unique in the history of the Lakers for so many years, and it is a definite anchor for the team.

Then there is Ayton. As the No. 1 pick, his annual salary is really well spent. This time he directly guarded Wenbanyama. Ayton scored 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He was good at hitting hard under the basket and grabbing frontcourt boards for secondary attacks. Looking at Wenbanyama, although he also had 19 points and 8 rebounds, he was restrained by Ayton and lost his temper throughout the game. In the end, he committed 6 fouls and left the field, making 5 turnovers alone. When the two faced off directly, Bunyama simply couldn't withstand Ayton's physical confrontation. Ayton contributed a lot to the Lakers' ability to stabilize the penalty area. This performance was completely worthy of his status as the No. 1 pick.

The third fact is that the Lakers are really strong now, and they are not relying on luck to win five consecutive games. Both James and Reeves were absent due to injuries in this game. Without the two main players, they could still win against the Spurs, who are ranked high in the Western Conference. Even if someone was absent in the previous games, the team did not lose its chain. Now it is firmly in the top three in the Western Conference, and it will basically be no problem to maintain the top four in the future. They do not win by relying on one person to play blindly, but by having a solid system. On the defensive end, they can force their opponents to make mistakes (the Spurs made 19 mistakes in this game), on the offensive end, they can rush into the penalty area, and their scoring efficiency is stable. This kind of resilience and overall strength is the key to their winning streak.

Finally, I have to praise the Lakers' teamwork. It's really not just Doncic and Ayton. The other players in the starting lineup also played very well. Smart scored 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Not only could he score by himself, but he could also connect the team. When defending, he could also draw offensive fouls from Banyama. When the Spurs were chasing points in the third quarter, he stepped up to stabilize the situation. Although Rui Hachimura only grabbed 2 rebounds, he scored 15 points very steadily. He could shoot after catching the ball from the outside. And when he was on the court, the Lakers had a plus-minus of +6, which was the highest in the team, indicating that the team's offense and defense were smoother when he was on the court. Laravia didn't score much, just 8 points, but he grabbed 6 rebounds. He defended closely and fought aggressively. Those inconspicuous rebounds and defense are actually key details in winning the game.