Lakers fall to Spurs, 102-91, in Game 2 of series

Spurs 102, Lakers 91 (final)

The San Antonio Spurs held home court, going up 2-0 over the Lakers with a 102-91 victory in Game 2 of their best-of-seven playoff series Wednesday night.

Tony Parker led all scorers with 28 points, hitting 9 of 20 shots from the field and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line. He also has seven assists without a turnover.

The Lakers lost each quarter by five, three, two and one point -- in that order. Dwight Howard and Steve Blake led the team with 16 points apiece.

After struggling to hit shots in Game 1, the Lakers were much better offensively, making 45.1% from the field and 36.4% (8 of 22) from three-point range. Where they struggled in Game 2 was on the defensive end, with the Spurs shooting 51.2% from the field and 50% from long range. San Antonio only made 37.6% of their shots in Game 1.

Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard each scored 16 points fo the Spurs while Manu Ginobili had 13 points off the bench.

Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace each had 13 points fo the Lakers, while Steve Nash appeared to be limited by his hamstring injury to finish with nine points and six assists.

Blake sat late in the game with a hamstring strain of his own. Jodie Meeks didn’t play with a sprained ankle.

The Lakers got six minutes out of Jordan Hill, the reserve center’s first appearance since Jan. 6 after sustaining a hip injury that required surgery. Hill was originally projected to be out for six months.

The series shifts to Staples Center on Friday, when the Lakers will try to hold serve on their home court.

Spurs 78, Lakers 68 (end of third quarter)

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker scored 15 points in the third quarter as the Spurs extended their lead over the Lakers to 10 points entering the final quarter of Game 2 in their best-of-seven playoff series.

Lakers center Dwight Howard sat with his fourth foul just 3 1/2 minutes into the third quarter. Howard has 14 points but only four rebounds in the game.

Parker leads all scorers with 19 points as San Antonio is shooting 49.2% from the field for the game.

Guard Steve Blake has 16 points to lead the Lakers, who are shooting 44.3% from the field.

Again the Lakers struggled to close a quarter, getting outscored 4-0 in the final minute and a half.

Spurs 56, Lakers 48 (halftime)

San Antonio closed out another quarter by dominating the Lakers, finishing the second on a 10-2 run over the last two minutes to head into the break up by eight points.

The Spurs have been led by forward Kawhi Leonard with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Guard Manu Ginobili has 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.

San Antonio is shooting 52.2% from the field, including 5 of 7 from three-point range.

The Lakers made 42.2% from the field and 5 of 13 from long range. They’ve committed only five turnovers but their defense hasn’t been as sharp as it was in Game 1.

Guard Steve Blake leads the Lakers with 11 points, while big men Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard have 10 points apiece.

Spurs 28, Lakers 23 (end of first quarter)

The Spurs went on a late 6-1 run to break a tie score, 22-22, with 1:03 left in the first quarter to lead by five points heading into the second in Game 2 of their series against the Lakers.

Kawhi Leonard leads all scorers with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting as San Antonio shot 52.2% from the field.

The Lakers got seven points from Dwight Howard but struggled as a team from the field at 37.5%, although they did make 3 of 6 shots three-point range.

Jodie Meeks will not play because of a sprained ankle sustained in San Antonio’s Game 1 victory.

Pregame

On Wednesday night, the Lakers have the opportunity to steal home-court advantage from the Spurs, who had the Western Conference’s second-best record at 58-24 this season.

The Spurs won Game 1, 91-79, on Sunday despite shooting only 37.6% from the field.

Reserve big man Jordan Hill has been cleared to play after recovering from hip surgery, making Kobe Bryant (Achilles’ tendon tear) the lone Laker unavailable for Coach Mike D’Antoni.

For a more in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers vs. Spurs.

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Email Eric Pincus at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.