Original title: Wharton gives enough face, Popovich still loses! The Lakers swept the Spurs, and the playoffs were not good
On April 5, the Spurs played the Lakers, and the Lakers continued to practice, and the Spurs must win to consolidate their ranking advantage in the playoffs. Aldridge led the team, and the Lakers were also the strongest lineup.
However, the Spurs did not play well in this game. Spurs 30:29 Lakers in the first quarter, 31:29 Lakers in the second quarter, Lakers at 21:27 in the third quarter, Spurs 21:27 in the fourth quarter. From the perspective of the single-quarter score in the fourth quarter, it can also be seen that the Spurs did not play well, and in the fourth quarter, the Lakers still had a one-point lead for a long time, which made people anxious. Although the last two teams tied going into overtime, the Spurs did not play well in the fourth quarter.
The picture shows the end of the fourth quarter, the Lakers lineup.
Even so, Wharton gave the Spurs enough face, only one starter played on the court at key moments in the fourth quarter, and the other four were all substitutes. The Lakers gave enough face, but the Spurs still couldn't beat and could only go into overtime. And into overtime, Randle did not play, which theoretically gave the Spurs a chance, and as a result, the Spurs played even worse in overtime. Walton gave the Spurs face, the Lakers hid the main force, but the Spurs lost... The Lakers also swept the Spurs again after 20 years, is it unexpected?
The Spurs lost, although still temporarily ranked 5th, but tied with the Thunder and were easily overtaken. Imagine the Spurs winning, then they must have overtaken the Jazz and temporarily ranked 4th.