LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephon Castle scored 21 of his 30 points in the second half and De’Aaron Fox added 20 as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 132-119 in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday night.
Keldon Johnson had 17 points and eight rebounds and the Spurs held a double-digit lead for much of the final three quarters to earn their final Cup semifinal spot in Las Vegas, where they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
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Luka Doncic scored 35 points and LeBron James had 19 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who lost for just the third time in 12 games. Los Angeles cut the deficit to eight points late in the fourth quarter but was unable to close the gap.
Marcus Smart scored eight three-pointers for the Lakers and scored a season-high 26 points, while Austin Reeves scored 15 points.
The Spurs have won nine of 12 games this week and into the playoffs after steadily controlling two Western Conference teams looking to challenge the defending champion Thunder.
Castle had a strong performance in his second game back after missing 10 games with a hip injury, adding 10 rebounds and six assists. The Spurs had eight teams score at least eight points, and their bench beat Los Angeles Prep 48-31.
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The Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup in 2023 and went undefeated in the group stage this fall before meeting the Spurs.
The Spurs went on a 17-2 run and led by 18 points in the second quarter, with Castle and Harrison Barnes taking advantage of Los Angeles’ season-long struggles defending outside shots.
Victor Wembanyama missed his 12th straight game with a calf injury but traveled with the Spurs.
Next
Spurs: Play Oklahoma City in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Lakers: vs. Phoenix on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA