PREVIEW: The Los Angeles Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Spurs bring elite rim attack capabilities (ranked 3rd) and strong defensive rebounding (ranked 3rd), while the Lakers counter with the league's best perimeter defense (ranked 1st) and efficient inside scoring (ranked 3rd). Los Angeles gets Luka Doncic back after he missed the previous game, bringing a massive production boost with averages of 41.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, though Austin Reaves' status remains uncertain. The Lakers have been playing excellent basketball of late, stringing together four consecutive wins despite navigating multiple injury challenges. San Antonio comes in at 5-1 after dropping their first game of the season on Sunday against Phoenix. The Spurs will be without both De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper at the guard position, creating significant depth concerns heading into this matchup. While the Spurs excel at limiting three-point opportunities allowed (ranked 5th) and operate with a methodical pace (ranked 25th), they struggle with isolation-heavy offense (ranked 25th) and rarely attack from the post (ranked 26th). This shapes up as a marquee showdown between two superstar forwards, with Wembanyama still seeking his first win against Doncic in head-to-head competition.