The Los Angeles Lakers were favored to win by a solid margin in their Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal game versus the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. But even though the Spurs were without superstar center Victor Wembanyama, they smacked the Lakers, 132-119, and put on an impressive display of consistent fast-break basketball.
With that, the Lakers are out of the running for the NBA Cup. Earlier on Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns, who were without four-time All-Star guard Devin Booker, got electrocuted by the defending world champion Oklahoma City Thunder, 138-89. The Spurs and the Thunder will head to Las Vegas for the semifinal round, and the winner of that game will face the victor of the Eastern Conference semifinal contest, which will be played by the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic.
In the meantime, the Lakers will reportedly play a “make-up” game against the Suns on the road this Sunday, Dec. 14. They will be off until that matchup takes place.
The Lakers will play at Phoenix on Sunday.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 11, 2025
Just over a week ago, the Suns raced past the Lakers, 125-108, and the way they did so resembled the fashion in which San Antonio played on Wednesday. They had 28 fast-break points compared to only two for Los Angeles, and they feasted off 22 L.A. turnovers. On Wednesday, Los Angeles committed 11 turnovers.
The Lakers now have an overall record of 17-7, and as a result of Wednesday’s loss, they have slipped to fourth place in the Western Conference. They’re half a game behind the second-place Denver Nuggets, a team they will not face until Jan. 20.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers’ ‘make-up’ game following NBA Cup quarterfinal loss is set
