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The Lakers rallied, but fell short in Game 1. |
Brandon Ingram got two clutch blocks on LeBron James, spoiling the King's triple-double. A quick flurry by the Lakers nearly buckled the Spurs out of contention early, but they withstood the powerful scoring salvo to come back and seize control with a 52-49 halftime yield. Dejounte Murray blocked Danny Green's 3PT attempt, dishing the ball smartly all game long to P.J. Tucker, J.R. Smith & Avery Bradley for clutch makes from beyond, nearly earning a double-digit lead to begin the fourth quarter, 82-73. The Lakers fired up the comeback effort, but the Spurs clamped down on D highlighted by Mosgov swatting LeBron's jump hook attempt. Despite the loss, the Lakers dominated the glass overall and nearly blew out San Antonio in quarter one, a worry that will definitely linger into Game 2. This game was won by strong performances by Brandon Ingram & Dejounte Murray. The biggest takeaway is San Antonio finally defeating the Lakers, having gone winless in the regular season series, with now being the most important time to pull it off.