NBA: Rudderless Lakers beaten by Spurs as Jackson criticises 'slimy' coach talks

San Antonio Spurs took advantage of the delay in new Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni taking up his post to record an 84-82 win.

Los Angeles Lakers' Dwight Howard reaches for a rebound against San Antonio's Tiago Splitter and Danny Green
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With newly-appointed coach Mike D'Antoni yet to take up his post, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to their first loss since firing Mike Brown as Danny Green's late three-pointer handed the San Antonio Spurs an 84-82 victory.

Interim Lakers coach Bernie Bickerstaff watched on as Green hit the winning shot with 9.3 seconds left, with Pau Gasol missing a three-point attempt for Los Angeles moments later.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 19 points while Tim Duncan had 18 and 11 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant had 28 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers.

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.

Meanwhile Phil Jackson has accused the Lakers of "slimy" negotiations with him over the vacancy before the side opted for D'Antoni.

Jackson said he met Lakers' brass for ninety minutes at his home on Saturday before being woken by a phone call at midnight on Sunday to tell him that D'Antoni had been given the job instead.

"It seemed slimy to be awoken with this kind of news," Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "It's just weird.

"I wish it would have been a little bit cleaner. It would have been much more circumspect and respectful of everybody that's involved."

Elsewhere in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and JR Smith and Raymond Felton each added 21 as the New York Knicks topped the Orlando Magic 99-89 to stay unbeaten.

The Knicks are 5-0, the first time they have achieved that mark to start a season since 1993.

The Toronto Raptors scored just five points in the fourth quarter but hung on to take a 74-72 win over the Indiana Pacers.

DeMar DeRozan scored 15 points and Jose Calderon collected 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Charlotte Bobcats recorded their first back-to-back victories since December as they topped the Washington Wizards 92-76 behind 21 points from Ramon Sessions.

The Brooklyn Nets enjoyed a third straight win as Deron Williams piled up 26 points and 10 assists and Joe Johnson scored 25 in a 114-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak as Damian Lillard scored 22 points in a 103-86 win over the Sacramento Kings.

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