On October 22nd, the Los Angeles Lakers played against the San Antonio Spurs in their first home game with LeBron James. The game was a win for the Spurs, with a close ending score of 143-142.

Leading three second-year pros and a rookie, James made his regular season debut with a three-pointer, allowing the Lakers to momentarily take the lead during overtime. along with contributions from rookie Johnathan Williams. With a lead of 142-136, 55 seconds were left in overtime.

Still, Patty Mills, who scored a total of 12 points, hit a jumper with 6.8 seconds left, bringing the Spurs into the lead and keeping the Lakers winless.

Rudy Gay scored a 3-pointer, which narrowed the Lakers’ lead to just one point.  James missed his free throws before the jumper by Mills.

Viewers later commented on this. Josh Yamane (10), a basketball player who saw the game, expressed surprise, saying, “[How did] LeBron miss both of his free throws?”

James finished the game with 32 points, 14 assists, and 8 rebounds.  He missed two free throws and a step-back 3-pointer.

However, even though the Lakers made a last-minute failure, James commented, “I know what I got myself into.  [It is] a process.  I get it, and [we will] be fine. I [did not] come here thinking we were going to be blazing, storming right out of the gate. [It is] a process, and I understand that.”

As for the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan contributed 32 points and 14 assists. The Lakers ended with Kyle Kuzma having 37 points and 8 rebounds and Josh Hart adding 20 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spurs’ win was a close victory, coming as a shock for many other viewers.  Kaila Uyemura (9), a basketball player, said, “Looking at the score… I was pretty surprised that [the Lakers] only lost by one point.”

This game marked LeBron James’ first regular season game with the Lakers, and the first home game for the team.  Although a loss, the team remains hopeful for the future.