Spurs take down Lakers, advance to NBA Cup West final

Stephon Castle scored 30 points with 10 rebounds and De'Aaron Fox added 20 points as the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the NBA Cup West final with a 132-119 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Keldon Johnson scored 17 points with eight rebounds, Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie each had 16 points and Dylan Harper added 13 as the Spurs won for the ninth time in their past 12 games all without Victory Wembanyama, who remains out with a calf injury.

The Spurs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West final at Las Vegas on Saturday.

Luka Doncic scored 35 points with eight assists and Marcus Smart added 26 points in his return from a back injury as the Lakers lost for just the third time in their past 12 games.

LeBron James scored 19 points with 15 rebounds and Austin Reaves added 15 points with eight rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles, which was one of just two West teams to go undefeated in NBA Cup group play.

The Spurs took charge with a 20-4 run between the end of the first quarter and the start of the second to lead 47-30 with 9:14 remaining before halftime. San Antonio led by as many as 18 in the second quarter and took a 70-58 lead into the break.

San Antonio led 80-60 with 10:14 remaining in the third quarter and went up 85-63 in the period before going into the fourth with a 104-87 lead after a 3-pointer from Fox.

Los Angeles made a late charge, pulling to within 122-114 on a Reaves three-point play with 3:54 remaining to cap an 18-4 run. Castle sealed the victory on a 3-pointer with 1:41 remaining for a 130-116 lead.

Castle shot 10 of 14 from the floor and added six assists in his second game after missing nine consecutive contests with a hip injury.

San Antonio avenged a 118-116 loss at Los Angeles on Nov. 5.

With their loss, the Lakers are now scheduled to play a regular-season game at Phoenix on Sunday.

--Field Level Media