Lakers beaten by Spurs as they await new coach

San Antonio’s Danny Green drained a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining and the Spurs’ defence then denied Kobe Bryant the ball as the Western Conference-leading Spurs produced a dramatic 84-82 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Bryant, who rose above a defence-dominated contest with 28 points and eight assists, was unable to get his hands on the ball after Green’s clutch shot, forcing Pau Gasol to attempt a long three-pointer that ended their chances. It was the third successive win for the Spurs (7-1), who got 19 points and seven assists from Tony Parker, as well as 18 points and nine rebounds from Tim Duncan. The Lakers (3-5) had won their two previous games since coach Mike Brown was fired, but are still waiting for his successor Mike D’Antoni to take over. D’Antoni, who was named on Monday to replace Brown, is unlikely to make his debut until later this week because of recent surgery. From Gulfnews