Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James left an encouraging message for San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle after exchanging jerseys.

Austin Reaves addresses a key weakness the Lakers must fix after a Spurs loss exposed defensive flaws in NBA Cup play.

LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the rest of the Lakers took on the Spurs in the last NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup of the week, and Hov and his 13-year-old girl sat courtside for the Western Conference tilt. The Lakers showed love to their special guests on their X account just after tip-off, sharing a photo of two looking stylish in their chairs.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss at least one week after being diagnosed with a mild left calf strain, the team announced Friday. He will be reexamined after that window, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.

Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10 p.m. ET. Los Angeles is the 7.5-point favorite in the latest Spurs vs. Lakers odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 241.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Spurs picks, check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The Warriors last played on Sunday, capping off a three-game road trip with a dominant 123–91 win over the Chicago Bulls. Jimmy Butler returned to