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Spurs begin homestand versus Lakers

Jan 23, 2015 - 3:11 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The San Antonio Spurs' winning streak was halted last time out, but they'll try and get back into the win column Friday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers at AT&T Center.

The Spurs had a four-game run abruptly halted Thursday night with a 104-81 drubbing to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Spurs with 16 points but was held scoreless in the second half. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw combined to shoot 4- for-22 from the field. They posted 10 points between the three of them.

Patty Mills finished with 12 points off the bench and Corey Joseph chipped in 11 for the second unit.

The Spurs shot just 37 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the 3- point line and were out-rebounded 46-39. San Antonio committed 13 turnovers to 10 from the Bulls, who shot better percentages across the board.

"I thought the Bulls were physically and mentally committed to playing a great game and I thought our play was humiliating and embarrassing," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Chicago started the third quarter with a 7-0 run, with Tony Snell's layup pushing to lead to 53-40, and it was still a 13-point game before the Bulls put the game away with a 14-2 flurry.

The Spurs' biggest deficit was 25.

San Antonio begins a six-game homestand against the Lakers, followed by visits from the Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, LA Clippers, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.

The Lakers have lost six in a row and five straight on the road. Friday's game ends a four-game road trip, but the trek will come to a close with difficult news for the team.

Kobe Bryant has a tear in his right rotator cuff and flew back to Los Angeles for further evaluation. Bryant played through the injury in Wednesday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, shooting 6-of-14 from the floor for 14 points over 30 minutes.

The 36-year-old guard was favoring the shoulder in the fourth quarter after throwing down a dunk and even hit a left-handed floater before exiting to the locker room.

"I felt fine when I went up and didn't feel too good when I came down," Bryant said.

Bryant, who was named a starter to the Western Conference All-Star team, has been in-and-out of the lineup for the past month. He is averaging 22.3 points per game but making just 37.3 percent of his shots. The 19-year veteran has never shot worse than 41.7 percent, and that came during his rookie season.

The Lakers fell to the Pelicans, 96-80.

Jordan Hill tallied 15 points and 13 boards and Wayne Ellington chipped in 12 off the bench.

Following Friday's game, the Lakers will play three straight at home against Houston, Washington and Chicago.

The teams have split two meetings this season with the visitor emerging victorious in each encounter. LA has won two straight in Alamo City, but lost the previous five in San Antonio, including the playoffs.