Kobe Bryant vs. Spurs in 2014
Nov 14, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) react at Staples Center. The Spurs defeated the Lakers 93-80. Mandatory Credit: Reuters

Kobe Bryant missed, missed and missed and his Los Angeles Lakers got beaten black and blue by the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. The Lakers veteran only made 1-of-14 field goals on the way to a measly nine-point performance in a 90-83 loss to the defending champions. The low-scoring affair had the Spurs shooting just 41.3 per cent from the field (33/80 FGs) but San Antonio put the clamps down on the Lakers all game forcing the L.A. squad to shoot an even worse 37.3 per cent from the floor (38/73 FGs).

The Spurs were led by back-up point guard Corey Joseph, who finished with 14 points. Tim Duncan (13 points and 11 rebounds), Kawhi Leonard (12 points, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots) and Tony Parker (11 points and 9 assists) didn’t need a big scoring night but it didn’t matter as the Lakers just couldn’t consistently hit their shots all night.

The message was sent early as the Spurs outscored the Lakers, 29-22 in the opening quarter. San Antonio then turned up their defensive intensity in the second quarter limiting Los Angeles to just 13 points while scoring 18. The Lakers never recovered as the Spurs cruised to a third consecutive win and improved to 5-3 overall for the season. The Lakers dropped to 1-8 and are on another three-game skid after starting the season 0-5 with their lone victory coming at the Staples Center last Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.

Carlos Boozer led all scorers with 19 points but that couldn’t help the Lakers from another bad blowout loss. The Lakers are the second worst team in the league in points differential with a -9.3 average for the season.

Upcoming Schedule (Next 3 Games):

San Antonio Spurs: at Sacramento Kings, vs. Philadelphia 76ers, at Cleveland Cavaliers

Los Angeles Lakers: vs. Golden State Warriors, at Atlanta Hawks, at Houston Rockets