The Lakers defeated the struggling Memphis Grizzlies 123–120 to secure a vital victory.
After missing some key games over the past week, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were back together and the Lakers were completely dominant. LeBron finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. AD finished with 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 36 points.
Rui Hachimura was the only other Laker to score more than 14 points, and he was plagued by foul trouble the whole evening. Reaves Austin scored 13 points. In his few minutes off the bench, Gabe Vincent played well, making his first 3-pointer upon coming back.
The Lakers made baskets early in the game on Friday night, while the depleted Grizzlies displayed their exciting youthful talent.
The assumption would be that LA would immediately make this a blowout, but the Grizzlies came to play and weren’t to be taken lightly. The Lakers couldn’t grab a dominating lead as the Grizzlies kept it close. An 8-0 Lakers run had them up eight at the end of the quarter.
The purple and gold stepped on the gas in the second quarter, expanding their lead to 13. This Grizzlies squad refused to give up and closed the gap to nine points. They scored 14 points off of second-chance opportunities, fully capitalizing on LA’s weakness in that area.
Rui, fortunately for the Lakers, heated up and made two straight three-pointers. GG Jackson scored 12 points in the quarter to help close the margin to three points, but it didn’t really matter.
In the first half, LA committed up to ten turnovers, a significant problem for the previous few games. Even so, they managed to maintain a lead (68–64) at the break.
The Grizzlies continued to make baskets early in the second half, forcing Darvin Ham to call a timeout to halt the bleeding as Memphis opened up a two-point lead. Once more, it was evident that the Lakers were acting sloppily and that this game was not crucial for seeding.
The Lakers were playing very sloppily, and the Grizzlies’ lead increased to nine points. D’Angelo Russell was missing from the game, as he was unable to locate his 3-point shot. For the first part of the quarter, the Lakers were playing behind.
By the two-minute mark, LA had reduced the score to one and was beginning to play stronger defense. Lebron was smothering his defense and heating up from behind the arc. The Lakers went ahead by one basket.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers played hard and took an eight-point lead. Gabe Vincent was playing great defense on his own and it was encouraging to see him make a three-pointer. In response, the Grizzlies were able to reduce the deficit to four points.
Scotty Pippen Jr., the former Laker, was humiliating his former squad by scoring a career-high 28 points. The Lakers once again showed signs of recklessness in this back-and-forth contest. Fortunately, they regained their momentum and increased their lead to seven points.
In the end, LeBron saved the Lakers as well; he stole the ball and scored a dunk to clinch the victory.
It was one point all for GG with two minutes remaining. LeBron made an effort to respond, but he missed two consecutive threes. Rui was fouled while attempting to grab the rebound, which led to his making both of his free throws.
The Grizzlies had all they needed from GG to attempt to steal this victory. The score was one in favor of the Grizzlies at 1:06. With 16 seconds remaining, LeBron extended the advantage to three points with a pair of free throws. LeBron answered for the Lakers with a finger roll to put them up one.
The Lakers need to find a solution to their turnover issues if they hope to have a strong play-in/playoff run. LeBron was the reason why the most of them on Friday. He should handle the ball with more caution.
The Lakers should never forget that you have to play the entire 48 minutes, regardless of how thin a team is, like the Grizzlies. You will always be in a dogfight if you have lazy energy.
Although they prevailed, it was arguably the most humiliating victory of the season because they had a far better chance to win. However, at least they prevailed!
The Lakers’ next game is scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 PM PT against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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