LA Lakers squeezed out a win today against San Antonio, 87-79. Both teams came out of the gates strong but a late game push by LA Lakers was just enough to hold off San Antonio. Coach Andreas Helmle said, "This game is really a sign of things to come. We come out and play hard every night. Things are looking up, and the fans of LA Lakers have a lot to look forward to after this victory."

In the San Antonio locker room after the game, players were in a somber mood. Even after the great team performance led by Kirby, they still come up short. "We deserved to win. That was our game - we just need to be able to put our opposition away when we have them down. We really were the better team." said Kirby after the game.

LA Lakers was led by Harris (16 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, a steal, 3 blocks), Morris (9 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, a steal, a block), Butler (12 points, 2 steals). San Antonio was led by Kirby (18 points, 11 boards, 1 assists, 3 steals, a block), Bean (14 points, 11 boards, 0 assists, 2 steals), Evans (18 points, a steal, 2 blocks).

LA Lakers improve to 30-13 and 13-7 at home. They hold at #3 in the Pacific and hold at #5 overall in the Western Conference. With this defeat, San Antonio fall to 20-24. They hold at #3 in the Southwest and remain at #8 overall in the Western Conference.

box score LA Lakers* roster San Antonio roster