The Los Angeles Lakers are certainly getting more than they bargained for on Wednesday night in NBA Cup action against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, despite being without Victor Wembanyama, have gone out and built a double-digit lead against Luka Doncic and company.
Of course, the game is not over until it's over, and the Lakers have three crunch-time assassins they can rely on to try and rescue themselves from the huge deficit they're facing. Doncic, at the very least, has renewed inspiration especially after experiencing another milestone moment this past week with the birth of his second child, Olivia.
The Lakers star's firstborn is named Gabriela, and he used to write down her name on his shoes before every game. But now that he has two daughters, there are new markings on his sneakers heading into their quarterfinals clash against the Spurs.
A new initial on Luka’s sneakers pic.twitter.com/dOiip4QaKk
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) December 11, 2025
There are hardly going to be any more memorable days for anyone than the birth of their children, and Doncic has to be sporting that dad energy that Fred VanVleet made famous back in 2019.
But for now, the Lakers' goal is to claw their way back against a Spurs team that is threatening to put an end to their NBA Cup run in the quarterfinals.
Luka Doncic, Lakers struggle to keep in step with the Spurs
The Spurs have been playing with so much pace and space that the Lakers are finding it hard to keep in step with them. LA is sporting an older roster that plays much more slowly and deliberately, and San Antonio is taking advantage of that speed disparity.
But the Lakers have many players who've been in this position before, so no one should dare count them out even though things aren't looking very promising for them heading into the final frame of the game.
