Luka And Lakers Face Challenge Versus Wembanyama And Spurs Despite the grueling gauntlet and eight games without LeBron and four without Luka, the ‘next-man-up’ Lakers not only survived but showed they were capable of playing championship caliber basketball without LeBron.… pic.twitter.com/OTJIp6UyoJ— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 5, 2025

“I think it’s in a really healthy place,” Redick said of Doncic and Reaves’ relationship. “I think what they realized early in the preseason, I don’t know if it was the first road trip or the second one that we went on, but they both realized that they both enjoy talking trash a… pic.twitter.com/Ll5Q4SyAzu— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) November 5, 2025

Lakers will celebrate the Dodgers championship at tonight’s game Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez & Blake Snell will be in attendance pic.twitter.com/69GMn0y0PF— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 5, 2025

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The first matchup between Luka Dončić and Victor Wembanyama takes place on Wednesday as the Lakers host the Spurs.

After a quick stop in Portland where they managed to steal a victory without their three best players, the Lakers are back home again where they will take on the San Antonio Spurs. This is their last home game in the next two weeks as they go on a five-game road trip after this one.

The Lakers continued their winning ways on Monday, improving their record to 6-2 as they move to the No. 3 seed in the competitive Western Conference. Given their health situation, it’s been an ideal start to the season for the purple and gold as they continue to build confidence, chemistry and momentum.

On Wednesday, they’ll face one of their toughest opponents yet this season in Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, who are also off to an impressive start (5-1). This is the best start that San Antonio has had in franchise history and that’s not a coincidence because Wembanyama has been incredible and the team around him is so much better compared to the last two years.

Unlike last season, Wemby is no longer taking too many 3-pointers. His shot selection has improved in that he’s now scoring more at will and is averaging 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals a game.

He’s reaching the level of not being able to be defended individually, which is why it’s going to be interesting to see how head coach JJ Redick game plans against him. My guess is Redick’s going to adopt the Phoenix Suns’ defensive scheme, which was a big reason why the Spurs dropped their first game against them last Monday.

Besides Wemby, there’s obviously Stephon Castle, who is a really good player and capable scorer for them. Then there’s Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie, who Lakers fans should know by now are pests to play against — especially when they’re making their shots and clicking in all cylinders.

That said, it’s also fair to argue that this Spurs team will have its hands full with Luka Dončić, who is no longer listed on the injury report and is expected to suit up in this one. Dončić, who has a 18-5 record against the Spurs, has torched them dating back to his days with the Dallas Mavericks and it’ll be exciting to see whether or not he’ll do it for the first time as Laker on Wednesday. Note that Dončić is undefeated (4-0) against Wembanyama.

For LA, the key is going to be how much pressure they can create on the Spurs defense, which currently ranks second best in the league behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers need to overwhelm the Spurs with their ability to score and that’s where the likes of Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Austin Reaves (if he suits up) comes in.

In fairness to all of them, they’ve shown that they’re more than capable of doing that as that’s one of the biggest reasons why they’re currently on a four-game winning streak.

If the Lakers can find a way to just contain Wembanyama and make sure he doesn’t dominate while getting their’s on offense, they have a high chance of improving their streak to five in a row. Let’s see if the purple and gold can get this one at home before they go off on their longest road trip yet.

Notes and Updates

For the Lakers’ injury report, LeBron James (right sciatica), Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain), Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) are out.
Austin Reaves (right groin soreness) is questionable while Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain) is probable.

Meanwhile, the Spurs list De’Aaron Fox (right hamstring strain), Dylan Harper (left calf strain) and Luke Kornet (left ankle sprain) as out.

Jeremy Sochan (left wrist sprain), Kelly Olynyk (left heel surgery) and Lindy Waters III (bilateral eye procedure) are questionable.

FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Coming off a surprising and inspiring win against the Blazers, the Lakers are riding good vibes and growing confidence into their next challenge. They face one of only two teams sitting above them in the Western Conference standings. The other, of course, is the 8–0 juggernaut from Oklahoma City.

This will be the first look at the new Spurs, with the 7’5” (and that might be a conservative estimate) Victor Wembanyama erasing almost every attempt opponents make to get a shot off in the paint. Fresh off a summer recharge, Wemby and the Spurs opened the season with a bang. His demolition of Anthony Davis and everyone else the Mavericks tried to put in front of him on opening night is hard to forget, and it instantly pushed the French prodigy to the top of the early MVP and DPOY favorite lists.

This should be a fun matchup that both teams’ superstars might have circled on their calendars. It did not escape the ever-aware and deliberate Victor Wembanyama that he has yet to win a game against Luka Dončić. And you can be sure the ultra-competitive Dončić has his own thoughts about the Frenchman being placed on the pedestal as the league’s next best player. Not that Dončić ever needed extra motivation to put on a Luka special against Wemby and the Spurs, who have long been one of his favorite targets.

Lakers (6-2) vs Spurs (5-1) game facts

Rest: LAL on 1 day of rest; SAS on 2 days of rest

Ranking: LAL 10th in Point Diff (+3.4), SAS 4th in Point Diff (+8.4)

LAL vs SAS 2025-26 record: 3-1

LAL injuries: LeBron James (OUT), Gabe Vincent (OUT), Adou Thiero (OUT), Maxi Kleber (OUT), Austin Reaves (questionable)

SAS injuries: Dylan Harper (OUT), De’Aron Fox (OUT), Luke Kornet (OUT), Kelly Olynyk (questionable), Jeremy Sochan (questionable), Lindy Waters (questionable)

LAL projected starting five: Luka Dončić (G), Austin Reaves (G), Marcus Smart (G), Rui Hachimura (F), Deandre Ayton (C)

LAL key reserves: Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Jaxon Hayes

SAS projected starting five: Stephon Castle (G), Devin Vassell (G), Julian Champagnie (F), Harrison Barnes (F), Victor Wembanyama (C)

SAS key reserves: Keldon Johnson, Jordan McLaughlin, Carter Bryant, Bismack Biyomb

Key storyline: Is the Lakers’ midrange hot streak the antidote to Wemby’s paint patrol terror?
I’ll get into this in more detail in the next section, but the main challenge when dealing with Wemby and the Spurs is that he makes opponents question taking any shot in any vicinity around him, which is usually the paint.

The Spurs are currently the second-best defense in the NBA, allowing 108.9 points per 100 possessions. Again, the Thunder are in a league of their own at 105.8. But even that elite defensive mark fades compared to the 98.3 points per 100 possessions the Spurs allow with Victor on the floor. When Wembanyama is on the floor, shots at the rim are almost non-existent for Spurs opponents. Instead, they usually have to settle for long midrange attempts, as lineups with Victor rank in the 100th percentile in opponent long midrange frequency. What makes this matchup particularly interesting is that the midrange has been the Lakers’ bread and butter this season. The Lakers are currently the best short and long midrange shooting team in the NBA.

However, the real key for the Lakers is probably to dominate and win the 15 or so minutes when Wembanyama is on the bench. The Spurs’ non-Wembanyama minutes, and especially their defense, have been a mess so far this season. With Luka Kornet, Dylan Harper, and De’Aaron Fox out, and Kelly Olynyk and Jeremy Sochan listed as game-time decisions, taking advantage of those stretches against bench units featuring Bismack Biyombo and Jordan McLaughlin is a must.

Lakers on offense | Spurs on defense

How do the Lakers attack Wembanyama and his tendency to lurk in the paint and swallow up anything that goes up (Wemby is averaging a ridiculous 4.7 blocks per game)?

Patience and structure will be the key. The Lakers will need to be systematic, running more organized sets, especially their stack and other variations of double pick-and-roll counter actions against drop coverage.

The Spurs typically defend with Wembanyama in drop coverage, and historically that has been the only way Victor has handled Dončić-led pick actions. His 95% drop rate on 38 picks defended as a screener against Luka is the highest you will find in tracking data. I am sure Sean Sweeney (more on him in the Spotlight section) will build a plan against Dončić that involves Stephon Castle fighting over screens (Dončić will need to use his eagerness against him and draw fouls) and aggressive gap help to assist Wembanyama in containing Dončić in the pocket.

This is why I think this is the game to counter with second-side and off-ball screening actions for players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and others. Involving the player Wembanyama is guarding in those actions should generate plenty of open midrange looks. Here is an example of the Suns running a handoff action and generating an open midrange look for Collin Gillespie after the initial pick action for Grayson Allen.

This is also another game for Deandre Ayton to show off his free-throw line shooting mastery on pocket passes against Wembanyama in drop coverage.

Spurs on offense | Lakers on defense

The Spurs lost their first game of the season in their last matchup against the Suns, who executed an aggressive plan to limit Wembanyama. He finished that game with only 9 points. The scheme (detailed breakdown here) was to defend the Frenchman with the smaller Royce O’Neale, push him as far out as possible, have near-Laker big man Mark Williams help off his man in the corner, and send a double on the catch when that was not possible. This plan has one flaw. It requires fast and precise rotations, and even then, it is prone to giving up plenty of corner threes.

The Spurs currently lead the NBA in corner three frequency at 14.3 percent, with two solid shooters, Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie, typically serving as the designated options in those spots. Both Barnes, with 35 percent of his shots coming from the corners, and Champagnie, at 41 percent, rank near the very top of the league in corner three frequency this season.

I am sure JJ Redick will study the Suns’ Wembanyama plan and look to upgrade it with some of the tactics he used against Nikola Jokić, a matchup he once admitted cost him two nights of sleep. Any scheme Redick comes up with should take advantage of the Spurs’ lack of passing and playmaking around Wembanyama. With Fox and Harper injured, Castle is the only other point guard available, and he is a second-year player with a shaky jumper and a tendency to turn the ball over. None of the other supporting cast members — Vassell, Johnson, Champagnie, or Barnes — are great passers. They are all more score-first players. If the Lakers take care of the ball and keep the younger, more athletic Spurs in a half-court game, they will have a good chance to win.

Player spotlight: Sean Sweeney

I’ll bend the rules here and pick an opposing assistant coach, Sean Sweeney, rather than a player this time. Sweeney was a longtime right hand to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, and after being in the mix for several head coaching jobs in the past, he somewhat surprisingly left for an assistant role in San Antonio this summer.

Sweeney was the mastermind behind the Mavericks’ defensive schemes, and if there is anyone who knows how to build a plan to slow down Dončić, he might be the best bet. He also served a role similar to Lakers assistant (and former Mavericks assistant) Greg St. Jean, spending the summer as part of the Slovenian national team’s coaching staff. If we go by how Dončić approaches matchups and the trash talk that usually comes with facing Jamahl Mosley, the Orlando Magic head coach and another former Mavericks defensive assistant who worked closely with him, there is no doubt Dončić will find some extra motivation for this one.

Final thoughts
This should be a fun game. Another clash of styles and a matchup between two of the NBA’s most dynamic superstars, both with just a little more spark than usual. You cannot ask for much more from a regular season game.

Lakers Challenge Spurs For Second Best Team In West Tomorrow Night Last night was the third time in the eight games played that the Lakers turned a ‘scheduled injury loss’ into a win. They won last night without LeBron, Luka, and Austin and twice earlier without LeBron and… pic.twitter.com/GuTjKKJzWP— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 5, 2025

Lakers Challenge Spurs For Second Best Team In West Tomorrow Night Were it not for the ‘play hard’ culture JJ got the team to buy into, the Lakers would be 3–5 right now, not 6–2 and seeking their sixth win in a row and #2 seed in the West. Lakers have now raised their ceiling… pic.twitter.com/0h3IGAlBt0— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 5, 2025

Lakers Challenge Spurs For Second Best Team In West Tomorrow Night Redick has the Lakers buying into his championship culture, playing championship basketball, and proving that playing hard is still the ultimate cheat code as almost every player on the roster is exceeding… pic.twitter.com/8pLUcFdnyN— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 5, 2025

Playing hard should not need to be a part of your team culture. For some it comes naturally (on our team I would put Vanderbilt, Hayes, Reaves and maybe Vincent in that category) and others they need a swift kick-in-the-pants (most NBA players). It comes with the 82 game grind that is the regular season, you simply cannot put forth the most supreme of efforts night in and night out at the pace and speed the game is played at today.

I would call it something else but if that’s what he’s labeling it as such, he might want to think again. If that’s what the media is calling it, same. Heart, Hustle & Hubris has a much nicer ring and flow to it. Hubris not in one’s self but in the team, city and culture you’re representing in that purple and gold jersey.

At any rate, I think it’s a lot more than just playing hard. It’s searching for quality shots inside and out. It’s being able to deploy multiple defensive schemes in a single game. it’s adapting to scheme teams vs. player talent teams. All of it is still a work in progress and the barometer for success won’t be tonight, or any other game during the regular season. It’ll be in the playoffs.

Redick navigated the 82 game grind and a massive trade well enough last season, I wouldn’t have considered it something he really needed to be graded on as long as the general result was similar. He dropped the ball mightily in the playoffs in terms of composure, strategy and overall coaching. SO, unless the team somehow falls into the playin tourney, his regular season status is fairly unimportant to me. Keep your cool, keep the team motivated and engaged (and honestly even that ought not need to happen but, hey, it’s the modern NBA so…).

Playoffs. The only test that matters.

Four straight dubs. Back to L.A. 🔥 #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/zKhWoffj2o— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 4, 2025

🏆 Esta imagen demuestra la "garra" de este equipo, esa es la cultura que esta imponiendo Marcus Smart y JJ Redick. La madrugada de hoy en "back to back" sin Luka, Reaves y James le ganaron un partidazo a los Portland Trail Blazers. Tras la victoria, el líder vocal defensivo… pic.twitter.com/TtiqbN35oR— El "Sr Laker" 🟣🟡 (@RyanNBA_) November 4, 2025

“Confidence, belief, and truly connectivity in the second half was just awesome to watch, it was just blossoming.”JJ on the 2nd half takeover 👀 pic.twitter.com/y8s6wWgPno— 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅 🏆 (@PurpGolded) November 4, 2025

NO MATTER WHO IS INNO MATTER WHO IS OUTSOMEONE ALWAYS STEPS UP!! pic.twitter.com/eBmaA77Yh5— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) November 4, 2025

The Lakers in back to back nights 🤯:29 PTS — Luka Doncic26 PTS — Austin Reaves25 PTS — Jake LaraviaNov. 2nd — WIN vs Heat29 PTS — Deandre Ayton28 PTS — Rui Hachimura25 PTS — Nick Smith JrNov. 3rd — WIN vs Blazers pic.twitter.com/Exwie9CNTx— BronMuse (@BronMuse) November 4, 2025

😈 THE AYTON REVENGE GAME.🎯 THE RUI AIMBOT GAME.👀 THE BRONNY ARRIVING GAME.😤 THE NICK SMITH JR. GAME.🤯 THE HOW IN THE WORLD DID THE LAKERS WIN THAT GAME. pic.twitter.com/mOYaLc9VAV— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) November 4, 2025

🏀 MONDAY'S FINAL SCORES 🏀Deandre Ayton's double-double lifts the @Lakers to their fourth-straight victory!Rui Hachimura: 28 PTS, 10-15 FGMNick Smith Jr.: 25 PTS, 5-6 3PMDeni Avdija: 33 PTS, 6 REBShaedon Sharpe: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 STL https://t.co/kx4H9RUNPz pic.twitter.com/bORsbEfciu— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2025

It’s abundantly clear.THE LAKERS FINALLY HAVE A BASKETBALL PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE.They will play hard no matter who is in the lineup.This is a HUGE development for a franchise that has flatly lacked this exact thing for YEARS.It’s a new age in Los Angeles, thanks to JJ.— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) November 4, 2025

Depth Chart for Tonight?PG: Marcus Smart, Nick Smith JrSG: Jarred Vanderbilt, Bronny JamesSF: Jake LaRavia, Chris ManonPF: Rui Hachimura, Dalton KnechtCE: Jaxson Hayes, Chris KolokoCould be worse. Portland better be careful.Lakers looking to prove next man up still… https://t.co/zoa4uaXPE5— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 4, 2025

How JJ Redick Has Lakers Off To Impressive Start Despite Injuries Despite injuries to LeBron and Luka, JJ Redick has the 5–2 Lakers playing championship caliber basketball, looking to win their fourth straight game in Portland tonight while setting a pace that translates to a… pic.twitter.com/ttgMjPfbfA— LakerTom (@LakerTom) November 3, 2025