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LeBron James and the LA Lakers have endured a tough test against the skidding Spurs on Friday. The 17x champions were trailing by 25 points early in the second quarter. Their comeback attempt fell short after they could only trim the lead to six points.
It's worth noting that the Lakers are severely depleted, with Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish ruled out, along with Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino. James and Jarred Vanderbilt returned after a one-game absence, but it hasn't been easy for LA.
To make things worse, LeBron has endured many knocks during this game. The recent one came through friendly fire from Rui Hachimura as players from both teams jostled for a rebound. Hachimura inadvertently hit LeBron in the face, leaving the four-time MVP bleeding. Here's the video of this incident:
It was the third time LeBron got hit in the face during the game. He took a couple of hits before from Spurs players on drive attempts. The Lakers star, fortunately, has stayed in the contest, so these knocks are unlikely to have a long-term impact.
LeBron James ties career record for most assists in a quarter
The LA Lakers trailed by 25 points in the first half, but LeBron James inspired a potential comeback with a fiery second quarter offensively. The NBA's leading scorer made life easy for his teammates, who struggled to see shots fall early in the game.
LeBron recorded a career-high tying nine assists in the second quarter. That's the most dimes he's had in a quarter. The Lakers cut the lead to six points, but the Spurs restored a 15-point advantage late in the third.
With nine minutes left in the fourth, the Lakers remain in the hunt to get their first lead but are down 14 points. LeBron James has a near triple-double with eight minutes left. He's tallied 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
The lack of firepower offensively and defensively without D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis has impacted the team significantly in this game. The Spurs are on track to cause an upset against their old rivals and break out of their 18-game skid.
