The Austin Spurs are hoping to get back to winning ways as they face a second game of a two-game series versus the South Bay Lakers. It was a heavy loss on Wednesday, March 15th as the Lakers beat the Spurs by a final score of 132-96. South Bay really showed why they are the current three seed in the Western conference at the moment. Austin will now have an opportunity to set the record straight and get an impressive victory in one of their final home games of the year. It will be a great Thursday night clash to view two teams on polar opposites of the spectrum.
Rematch tomorrow.@uthealthaustin | #ad pic.twitter.com/pHZjyoxmdi
— Austin Spurs (@austin_spurs) March 16, 2023
Austin Spurs vs. South Bay Lakers Info
When: March 16th, 2023
Tip-off: 7:30 P.M. CST
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
How to Watch: ESPN+
Austin Spurs Preview
The Spurs will be hoping to rebound quickly after the bad loss on Wednesday night. Kaleb Johnson was able to get a start and had a decent night with 21 points and five rebounds. Johnson has made it a habit of taking advantage of the opportunities given to him. Center Julian Champagnie also had 20 points and six rebounds, while Chaundee Brown Jr. had 18 points and three assists. It was a poor shooting night overall for Austin as they shot well under their average marks for the season. They also had a bit of trouble with the athleticism of South Bay and specifically containing the front court.
The Lakers are a real threat in the West and will hope to repeat their domination on Austin for the second night in a row. The Spurs will need to really play much tighter defense if they have any chance at pulling an upset. They will also need to try and get more high-percentage shots, as in the previous game they were forced into many bad looks. This will be a big gut check for Austin to see if they have the fight to pull off a huge upset.
South Bay Lakers Preview
The story of the night for the South Bay Lakers was the widespread offensive production. This is something that has had a common trend all season long. Scotty Pippen Jr. led the scoring with 23 points and showed his scoring abilities on the night. LJ Figueroa had an amazing night off the bench with 22 points and seven rebounds and Javante Mccoy also chipped in with 20 points and five rebounds.
The key to South Bay’s success as mentioned in the first game’s preview was the ability to get so much offensive production from a multitude of players around the court. Their balance in terms of both offense and defense makes them one of the favorites to win the championship, but it will be a tough road ahead as the Western conference is loaded with great teams.
A win here for Austin would help boost morale and provide yet another upset for the underdog Spurs this season.
