The San Antonio Spurs upset the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, earning a 129-115 win at home. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was impressed by Jeremy Sochan's defense on Lakers superstar LeBron James, commenting on Sochan's performance after the game.

“He gave everything he could. He did a good job guarding LeBron,” Popovich said of Sochan. “He made him think about it. Made him hesitate once in a while. You're not going to stop the guy. He's spectacular. But Jeremy took on the challenge.”

As Popovich noted, stopping LeBron is nearly impossible. But playing quality defense and making LeBron work hard for everything is possible, and that is exactly what Sochan did.

James still finished with 23 points and 14 assists in the game. However, it wouldn't have been surprising to see LeBron drop 35 or more points with Anthony Davis out.

Spurs earn a big victory

Jeremy Sochan shooting a basketball.

Devin Vassell led the offensive charge for San Antonio, scoring 36 points in the victory. Keldon Johnson added 17 points while Zach Collins recorded 16 points. Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Jeremy Sochan's primary impact was on defense but he did post 11 points and eight rebounds. The 20-year-old has endured an up-and-down season, but Friday's effort was a step in the right direction for him.

Overall, Sochan is averaging 10.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He's also shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc. It is clear that Sochan plays a big role for this team, and the Spurs believe he can be a key member of the core moving forward.

San Antonio will attempt to string back-to-back wins together Sunday in a clash versus the New Orleans Pelicans.