GOLDEN STATE vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 2/9/2021 8:30 PM
Where: San Antonio

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: Take de under

Oddsmakers currently have the San Antonio Spurs listed as 1.5 point favorites versus the Golden State Warriors, while the game’s total is sitting at 232.5.

The Spurs are 11-10 against conference opponents. San Antonio is seventh in the Western Conference at limiting opponent scoring, allowing only 111.3 points while holding opponents to 47.2% shooting.

The Warriors are 8-7 in Western Conference play. Golden State is second in the Western Conference with 27.2 assists per game led by Draymond Green averaging 7.7.

The teams square off for the second straight game.

TOP PERFORMERS:

DeMar DeRozan is averaging 20.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Spurs. Jakob Poeltl is shooting 62.3% and averaging 7.3 points over the last 10 games for San Antonio.

Curry leads the Warriors averaging 29.5 points and is adding 5.5 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. is averaging two made 3-pointers and scoring 15.8 points over the last 10 games for Golden State.

LAST 10 GAMES:

Spurs: 6-4, averaging 110.7 points, 43.8 rebounds, 24.3 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points on 48.2% shooting.

Warriors: 4-6, averaging 116.2 points, 43.8 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.6 points on 43.7% shooting.

INJURIES:

Spurs: Lonnie Walker IV: out (illness), LaMarcus Aldridge: out (hip).

Warriors: James Wiseman: out (wrist), Kevon Looney: out (ankle), Marquese Chriss: out for season (leg), Klay Thompson: out for season (right achilles).

BOTTOM LINE: Stephen Curry leads Golden State into a matchup with San Antonio. He currently ranks second in the league averaging 29.5 points per game.

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GOLDEN STATE vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 2/8/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , GOLDEN STATE

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as point favorites versus the GOLDEN STATE, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Golden State Warriors (12-11, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (13-10, fifth in the Western Conference)

San Antonio; Monday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Golden State visits the San Antonio Spurs after Stephen Curry scored 57 points in the Warriors’ 134-132 loss to the Mavericks.

The Spurs have gone 10-10 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio is ninth in the Western Conference scoring 111.2 points while shooting 45.4% from the field.

The Warriors are 8-6 in Western Conference play. Golden State is ninth in the NBA scoring 114.5 points per game while shooting 46.1%.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Warriors won 121-99 in the last matchup on Jan. 20. Curry led Golden State with 26 points, and Dejounte Murray led San Antonio with 22 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: DeMar DeRozan leads the Spurs scoring 20.5 points per game, and is averaging 5.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists. Jakob Poeltl is shooting 61.7% and averaging 7 points over the last 10 games for San Antonio.

Curry is averaging 29.4 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Warriors. Draymond Green is averaging 8.1 assists and 5.3 points over the last 10 games for Golden State.

LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 6-4, averaging 112.7 points, 44 rebounds, 25.2 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.9 points on 48.1% shooting.

Warriors: 5-5, averaging 118.3 points, 44.3 rebounds, 29 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113 points on 43.3% shooting.

INJURIES: Spurs: Lonnie Walker IV: day to day (illness), LaMarcus Aldridge: out (hip).

Warriors: James Wiseman: out (wrist), Kevon Looney: out (ankle), Marquese Chriss: out for season (leg), Eric Paschall: day to day (knee), Klay Thompson: out for season (right achilles).

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SAN ANTONIO vs HOUSTON
When: 2/6/2021 8:05 PM
Where:

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: HOUSTON , SAN ANTONIO

Oddsmakers currently have the HOUSTON listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the SAN ANTONIO, while the game’s total is sitting at 224.5.

San Antonio Spurs (12-10, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (11-10, 10th in the Western Conference)

Houston; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Houston hosts San Antonio in a matchup of Southwest Division squads.

The Rockets are 4-2 against Southwest Division teams. Houston is seventh in the Western Conference in rebounding averaging 44.3 rebounds. Christian Wood leads the Rockets with 10.2 boards.

The Spurs are 9-10 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio is fourth in the Western Conference with 45.2 rebounds per game led by Keldon Johnson averaging 7.3.

The two teams square off for the third time this season. The Spurs defeated the Rockets 103-91 in their last meeting on Jan. 16. DeMar DeRozan led San Antonio with 24 points, and Wood paced Houston scoring 24 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Wood is scoring 22 points per game and averaging 10.2 rebounds for the Rockets. DeMarcus Cousins is averaging 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists over the last 10 games for Houston.

DeRozan leads the Spurs averaging 20.1 points and is adding 5.0 rebounds. Dejounte Murray is averaging 5.1 assists and 13.3 points over the last 10 games for San Antonio.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 7-3, averaging 113.4 points, 44.9 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 8.7 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.8 points on 43.2% shooting.

Spurs: 6-4, averaging 111.9 points, 45.4 rebounds, 24.9 assists, seven steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.4 points on 47.5% shooting.

INJURIES: Rockets: Dante Exum: out (calf), Victor Oladipo: out (rest), David Nwaba: out (ankle).

Spurs: Rudy Gay: day to day (hip), LaMarcus Aldridge: out (hip).

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MINNESOTA vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 2/3/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE: -8.5
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as -8.5 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 224.

The San Antonio Spurs will look to regain their winning ways when they close a seven-game homestand Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Spurs were blown out at home by Memphis for the second straight game on Monday, falling 133-102 in their most lopsided loss of the season.

Minnesota heads to Texas on the heels of a 100-98 loss at Cleveland on Monday, its eighth consecutive road defeat.

San Antonio had won three straight before running into the red-hot Grizzlies, who also beat the Spurs 129-112 Saturday night.

“Give a lot of credit to Memphis — they played great both games,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were just tougher in so many ways than we were … their physicality on defense, their execution on offense. They sliced us and diced us and deserved the wins.”

Memphis’ 133 points set a season high for the second straight contest, and its 37 assists also were a season high.

“It had nothing to do with we didn’t shoot well, or we did this or we did that — they kicked our butts and we did not play the basketball we’ve been playing, for whatever reason,” Popovich added. “We’ll stick together, we’ll go back to work, but those were two very tough losses by a team that really executed well.”

Keldon Johnson paced all scorers with 25 points and added 10 rebounds for San Antonio in the loss. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 and 12 points, respectively and Patty Mills scored 11 for the Spurs.

“We know what’s ahead of us and we know we have a lot of work to be a good team,” Johnson said. “These are games we definitely wish we could get, and we needed, but it’s gone now. We’ve just got to look forward and put our big boy pants on and go out there and get it done next time.”

Minnesota’s loss at Cleveland on Monday came after the Timberwolves defeated the Cavaliers 109-104 in the Twin Cities the previous evening.

D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points for the Timberwolves on Monday, and No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards had 13 points in his third start of the year.

“Just got to get better,” Edwards said. “We just have to be better.”

Naz Reid returned after missing two games with a sprained right wrist and scored 12 points, with Jaylen Nowell adding 12, Jaden McDaniels 11 and Malik Beasley 10.

“I thought we did enough defensively to win that game,” Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said. “We didn’t turn the ball over (just eight times), and we had a lot of open looks, too, that just didn’t fall. On the second night of a back-to-back that hurts.”

Karl-Anthony Towns was inactive Monday for the ninth straight game because of COVID-19 while Jarrett Culver has missed the past four games because of a left-ankle sprain.

Minnesota is 2-8 overall in its past 10 contests and plays six of its next seven games on the road.

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MEMPHIS vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 2/1/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE: -3
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as -3 point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at .

The Memphis Grizzlies look for their seventh straight win Monday night when they face the Spurs in the second game of a back-to-back set in San Antonio.

The Grizzlies won the first game on Saturday, 129-112, leading throughout before pulling away late behind Ja Morant’s 19 points and 11 assists and double-figure scoring by seven Memphis players.

Memphis recorded season bests in 3-pointers (17) and points scored and matched its season best in assists (34).

“We are continuing to grow as a team and players are stepping up for us big time,” Morant said. “Once we play our type of basketball, good things will happen. We’ve been doing that lately, and that’s six games we’ve won (in a row).”

Memphis was playing for the first time since Jan. 18 after having five games postponed over the past two weeks because of COVID-19 issues that limited player availability.

De’Anthony Melton added a game-high 20 points for Memphis, with Kyle Anderson hitting for 16, Desmond Bane and Gorgui Dieng scoring 15 points apiece, and Dillon Brooks and Brandon Clarke tallying 14 each.

“Our bench was huge for us tonight,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “I thought Gorgui had an unbelievable game, Desmond had an unbelievable game and (Melton) had a tremendous game. When you get that production up and down the roster, it’s great to see.”

The Grizzlies played Saturday without usual starters Grayson Allen and Jonas Valanciunas, who were both out due to “health and safety protocols.” Valanciunas is with team and could play Monday.

The Spurs were playing the second of a home back-to-back after beating Denver on Friday and appeared a little worse for the wear. San Antonio fell to 0-3 on the second night of back-to-backs this season. The contest was a classic case of the Grizzlies’ fresh legs — really fresh, in fact — versus San Antonio’s tired ones.

Still, San Antonio cut an 18-point third-quarter Grizzlies’ lead to five, at 110-105, with 5:03 to play. That’s when fatigue — and Memphis’ 3-point shooting — took over, as back-to-back shots from beyond the arc by Brooks and Morant’s floating jumper produced an 8-0 run that allowed the Grizzlies to build enough of a cushion to waltz to the finish line.

“Everybody plays back-to-backs and three in four nights, and it probably showed a little bit on us, but everybody goes through it,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “You just have to play. You know, we got outplayed tonight, that’s the bottom line. I’m not gonna do a clinic for you — we got out played.”

Derrick White, in his first action since missing 14 games with a broken toe, paced the Spurs with 18 points.

Dejounte Murray had 15 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 14, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV and Rudy Gay scored 12 points each, and Patty Mills racked up 10 for San Antonio, which had a three-game win streak snapped.

“We just got to pick up our physicality,” White said. “Memphis shot it really well, made a lot of floaters and tough twos. We’ve just got to watch the film — we’ve got them coming back here Monday so there’s a lot for us to work on.”

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MEMPHIS vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 1/30/2021 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 221.

Two of the NBA’s hottest teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, will look to continue their success when they square off on Saturday for the first of two games in three days in the Alamo City.

Memphis returns to the floor for the first time since Jan. 18 after having five games postponed over the past two weeks because of limited player availability due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Spurs will play the third game of a five-game homestand after handling the red-hot Denver Nuggets 119-109 on Friday behind 30 points and 10 assists from DeMar DeRozan.

Even now, the Grizzlies will not be at full strength, with Jonas Valanciunas and Grayson Allen listed as unavailable for Saturday’s contest because of the health and safety protocols. Valanciunas, however, rejoined the Grizzlies for their road trip. He posted a video on Twitter on Friday of him walking to the team plane, saying that he has recovered from COVID-19.

The Grizzlies got back in the gym on Wednesday for their first practice since the stoppage.

“It was a big step getting back together as a team,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “They were super excited to be back. It was a competitive gym, as we always have.”

The Grizzlies were the “it” team in the league before they were forced to step off the court, having won a season-high five straight games, their longest winning streak since a seven-game run last January. With a win Saturday, Memphis would start a season 5-1 on the road for the first time in franchise history.

In its most recent game, Memphis defeated the Phoenix Suns 108-104, and for the second consecutive game, seven Grizzlies scored in double figures. Ja Morant (17 points, 10 assists) recorded his first double-double of the season. He has only played in five games because of an ankle injury.

“For me, we’ve won five in a row,” Morant said. “Reset button is nowhere. That thought is not in our minds at all. The biggest part for us is getting our condition back up to the game style. Our chemistry has improved since we started playing together, so I feel like that will be there.”

The Spurs’ win Friday was their third straight, and they snapped the Nuggets’ five-game win streak. San Antonio led by just one point after three quarters but outworked the Nuggets in the fourth, using a 7-0 run midway through the period to build an 11-point advantage. The Spurs turned on the defensive pressure down the stretch to seal the victory.

Dejounte Murray added 26 points for the Spurs while Keldon Johnson had 19 and Patty Mills 17.

The Spurs enjoyed a successful follow-up to a Wednesday win over the Boston Celtics, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. San Antonio also has wins against the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers this season and already owns a victory over Memphis, on the road, this season.

“We got to continue to want this finish, you know, no matter how hard it gets, no matter who we’re playing against — the best teams or the bottom teams,” DeRozan said. “We’ve got to come out and be greedy and stay consistent. We’ve got to go out there, play our butts off and compete.”

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WASHINGTON vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 1/24/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , WASHINGTON

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as -7 point favorites versus the WASHINGTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 231.

The short-handed Washington Wizards return to the court for the first time in nearly two weeks when they travel to San Antonio for a contest against the enigmatic Spurs on Sunday.

The Wizards have not played a game since beating Phoenix on Jan. 11 because six players tested positive for COVID-19 and faced quarantine for 10 to 14 days depending on when they first tested positive, in adherence to league health and safety protocols.

Washington held practice for the first time since Jan. 11 on Wednesday but had only eight players available, many of whom have not seen significant time this season. Deni Avdija and Rui Hachimura, both starters, as well as Moe Wagner, Ish Smith, Davis Bertans, and Troy Brown, are still in quarantine for Washington.

After the workout, the team complained to league officials about a heightened risk of injury should they continue with their schedule, which was set to resume with a game Friday in Milwaukee. That prompted the NBA to postpone the team’s sixth straight game.

The Wizards’ Bradley Beal said in a virtual news conference after Wednesday’s practice — which was little more than a shootaround because of the limited number of players — that playing on Friday had the “recipe for injury.”

On Saturday, Washington signed frontcourt players Alex Len and Jordan Bell and figures to have enough players to compete.

It remains to be seen how the extended layoff will affect the Wizards on Sunday against the Spurs.

“We don’t have a blueprint for this,” Washington coach Scott Brooks said. “The last thing I want to do is put our players in a position where they’re going to be susceptible for injury. I definitely worry going forward because these are our healthy guys, and the conditioning is definitely behind the teams that we’re going to be play.”

All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who missed the Wizards’ two most recent games with a left quadriceps injury, will travel with the team to San Antonio (and then on to Houston and New Orleans), but there is no timetable for when he will return to play.

San Antonio returns to the court after a 122-117 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday in the Alamo City. The Spurs cut an 18-point deficit to just one point in the final minutes but could not get over the top, falling for the second straight game.

DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 29 points while LaMarcus Aldridge hit for 26. Keldon Johnson poured in 17 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, Rudy Gay scored 16 points and Patty Mills had 13 for San Antonio in the setback.

“We dug a hole for ourselves, like we often have starting games,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “But as the game went along we got more and more aggressive, more and more physical, communicated better, and they didn’t give in after going down 18. Down the stretch we missed a couple shots, Dallas made a couple shots — game time.”

The Spurs played all but the first 1:02 of the game without Dejounte Murray after he rolled his left ankle. Popovich said after Friday’s game that he expected Murray to “be fine.”

After going just 4 of 33 from beyond the arc in its previous game, a 121-99 loss at Golden State on Wednesday, San Antonio hit seven 3-pointers in the first quarter on Friday, one shy of its franchise record for a single quarter. The Spurs ended up hitting 12 of 28 shot from long distance.

Sunday’s game, the Spurs’ 17th of the season, will be just their second against a team from the Eastern Conference this year — and the first since a win versus Toronto on Dec. 26.

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SAN ANTONIO vs PORTLAND
When: 1/18/2021 3:00 PM
Where:

TV: 3:00 PM
LINE: -1
PREDICTION: PORTLAND , SAN ANTONIO

Oddsmakers currently have the PORTLAND listed as -1 point favorites versus the SAN ANTONIO, while the game’s total is sitting at 226.

The Portland Trail Blazers have won five of their last six and will look to stay hot when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday afternoon.

Both teams won Saturday. The Trail Blazers relied on Damian Lillard’s 36 points and stout second-half defense to outlast Atlanta 112-106, while the Spurs came back from a double-digit first-half deficit to beat short-handed Houston 103-91.

Portland was forced to mount its own comeback against the Hawks without CJ McCollum, who scored 16 first-half points but did not play in the second half due to a sprained left foot. The Blazers limited Atlanta to 20 points in each of the final two quarters and roared back after trailing by seven at halftime.

“We should be proud of ourselves and the effort that we had in the second half,” Lillard said. “We know that first half wasn’t good enough. This was a game we had to have.”

Enes Kanter had 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers. Gary Trent Jr. added 18 points, Carmelo Anthony hit for 11 off the bench, Derrick Jones Jr. scored 10 and Robert Covington had 10 rebounds for Portland.

“Our team defense in the second half really stood out,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said after the win.

Stotts said after the game that McCollum underwent an MRI and that his injury was just a sprain. He will be a game-time decision Monday.

McCollum’s injury comes after center Jusuf Nurkic broke his right wrist Thursday night during a loss to Indiana at home. Nurkic will be sidelined for at least eight weeks after undergoing surgery.

The Spurs rebounded from a loss Thursday to Houston with an emphasis on defense, especially late in the game, in Saturday’s rematch. The Rockets, despite suiting up just eight players (the league-mandated minimum) were up to the task until the final five minutes.

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points in Saturday’s win, while Jakob Poeltl and Dejounte Murray added double doubles, as the Spurs were at their best when fatigue finally got to Houston. The win snapped San Antonio’s four-game home losing streak.

“We played our best defense in the fourth quarter, which is a good idea,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We held them to 19 in that quarter, as the defense picked up and gave us a chance. We knocked down a few shots toward the end, so that’s what we’ve been used to.”

Murray had 18 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio, with Poeltl scoring 13 and collecting 11 rebounds. Keldon Johnson and Patty Mills added 11 points each.

“We just fought hard,” Murray said. “We came in with the same game plan, but I think we started off real slow. We picked it up. The effort was there in the fourth quarter. We just stuck with it and won the game.”

The Spurs, who have won five of their past seven games, led 75-72 heading into the fourth quarter and 85-82 with 7:54 remaining before putting together a late 10-0 run to take a 100-85 lead and finish off Houston.

“We just focused in the fourth quarter, we really locked in and didn’t want them to get into the paint,” Poeltl said. “Tonight Houston was undersized and I really tried to get in there and be aggressive on the glass, try to use my size against them, and it worked out.”

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UTAH vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 1/3/2021 7:05 PM
Where:

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , UTAH

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as point favorites versus the UTAH, while the game’s total is sitting at 220.

The San Antonio Spurs look to turn things around Sunday when they host the Utah Jazz in the finale of three-game homestand.

The Spurs are coming off a 109-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. San Antonio has dropped three straight games, including back-to-back defeats at home against the defending champion Lakers, after opening the season with a pair of wins.

The Jazz head to San Antonio on the heels of a 106-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Utah has alternated wins and losses in its first five games this year and looks to forge its first winning streak of the season.

Second-year player Keldon Johnson had a career-high 26 points for San Antonio in the loss to the Lakers and added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He made 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line.

“We played a heck of a basketball team, and we were a good basketball team tonight also,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the loss. “I was happy with their play.”

DeMar DeRozan had 23 points for San Antonio. Rudy Gay scored 15 in the loss, while Dejounte Murray had 12 points and Patty Mills tallied 10 for the Spurs.

“We just played the champs at a high level, and we can go out there and play with anybody else in this league,” DeRozan said after the game.

Spurs guard Derrick White scored nine points in 23 minutes in his season debut and return from offseason toe surgery. Center LaMarcus Aldridge missed his second straight game for San Antonio with a sore knee and what was listed on the injury report as “an undisclosed illness.”

Mike Conley had a breakout game for Utah in its win against the Clippers, scoring a season-high 33 points and hitting seven 3-pointers to lead the Jazz, who won for the first time at home this year.

The Jazz dominated most of the game and led by 19 points in the fourth quarter before Los Angeles cut the deficit to just a point with 3:15 to play. Conley and Rudy Gobert carried the team down the stretch, combining to score Utah’s last 11 points

“Mike did a good job tonight of just controlling the game,” Utah forward Derrick Favors said about Conley. “He was finding his shots, he was finding the teammates open for their shots. He came up big for us, hitting big shots at the end of the game, hitting big shots when we needed him to. He just did a great job of controlling the whole game and just making big plays for us.”

Donovan Mitchell added 15 points for the Jazz. Favors added a season-high 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Gobert scored 12 points and Joe Ingles hit for 11 points in the win.

The Spurs went 3-1 against Utah last season and own a 108-84 all-time edge over the Jazz, including a 74-22 advantage in games played in the Alamo City.

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LA LAKERS vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 1/1/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 7
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , LA LAKERS

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as 7 point favorites versus the LA LAKERS, while the game’s total is sitting at 230.5.

When San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon became the first woman to serve as head coach of an NBA team during the regular season Wednesday, she had little time to cherish the milestone after a loss to the visiting Los Angeles Lakers.

“It’s my job to go in there and be focused for those guys and make sure that I’m helping them do the things that will help us win,” Hammon said. “I really have not had time to reflect. I haven’t looked at my phone so I have no idea what is going on outside of AT&T Center tonight.”

Back inside the AT&T Center on Friday, the Spurs will face the Lakers for the second time in three days.

In Wednesday’s meeting, LeBron James celebrated his 36th birthday with 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds as the Lakers rolled to a 121-107 decision. James also scored 10 or more points for the 1,000th consecutive game.

Hammon earned her place in league history after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was ejected in the second quarter.

“She’s been putting in the work,” James said. “Anytime you put in the work then you’re rewarded with opportunities. … Tonight was a case where she got to step in and show her worth and show her talent and show her love for the game.”

Dennis Schroder scored 21 points, Anthony Davis had 20 and eight rebounds and Wesley Matthews made all six of his 3-pointer attempts for a season-high 18 points for the Lakers. Montrezl Harrell added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Dejounte Murray had a career-high 29 points with seven rebounds and seven assists for San Antonio, which dropped its second straight game after winning its initial two contests. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points, Patty Mills contributed 12 and Lonnie Walker IV finished with 11.

The Lakers, who led by as many as 18, took a 63-53 lead at the break and stayed in control the rest of the way. Despite committing 17 turnovers to 10 for the Spurs, the Lakers used their shooting to prevail, converting 56.1 percent from the floor compared to 46 percent for the Spurs.

Los Angeles also hit 14 of 26 3-pointers (53.8 percent) to 10 of 24 (41.7 percent) for San Antonio.

Despite the win, Schroder said the Lakers remain a work in progress with their new additions.

“It’s game by game. We got to get better as a team,” said Schroder, who was dealt to the Lakers by the Oklahoma City Thunder before the season. “We just try to figure each other out. I think it’s going to take a few more games. … I’m excited. I’m going to keep working with (Davis) on the pick-and-rolls, keep talking to LeBron and try to get better each night.”

The night, though, belonged to Hammon.

“It’s a big deal; it’s a substantial moment,” she said. “I say this a lot, but I try not to think about the huge picture and the huge aspect of it because it can get overwhelming.”

A victory, though, would have been even better.

“I would have liked a different outcome,” Hammon said. “Overall, I would have liked to get a win tonight more than anything.”

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