The Lakers remain undefeated in clutch games with a comeback win against the Grizzlies on Sunday with a 120-114 win.
With the win, LA completes the season sweep of Memphis. After giving up 65 points in the first
half, the Lakers held the Grizzlies to 49 points in the second half.
Each team started off hot offensively. Four of five starters scored for LA. Jock Landale and Cedric Coward combined for 12 for the Grizzlies. Both teams had 10 points in the paint. As a team, the Lakers were shooting 55% from the field.
At the 4:30 mark, the game was tied.
Luka Dončić started heating up, scoring seven points to bring his total to 12. He was the first Laker in double figures and gave LA a one-point lead after a stepback 3-pointer from Luka.
Jarred Vanderbilt did the dirty work in the first with two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Los Angeles did not end the quarter well, allowing a 12-3 Memphis scoring run.
At the end of the first, the purple and gold were down by eight.
The Grizzlies scored a quick four points to make their lead double digits early in the second period. LA had only converted on two of their six shot attempts. They also had a rough time defending the Grizzlies, who were shooting 62% in the quarter.
At the 8:30 mark, the Lakers were down by 15.
Coward was leading the Grizzlies with 12 points. LA continued to play from behind, struggling to put together a run.
The Lakers picked up some steam towards the end of the quarter, scoring six points, four of which were scored by Jake LaRavia. At halftime, Los Angeles was down by 11.
GG Jackson scored on a dunk to start the second half. LaRavia knocked down two 3-pointers to help keep the Lakers close. Ayton entered double figures with 11 points after scoring four points. LA cut the deficit to single digits,
Santi Aldama was up to 11 points for Memphis. He was keeping the Grizzlies in the lead as Los Angeles tried to mount their comeback. Unfortunately, the Lakers allowed Memphis to respond with a 9-2 run, pushing their lead back to double figures.
LA was still shooting poorly from behind the arc at an abysmally low 21%. They were also on a three-minute scoring drought.
The triples finally began to fall with Luka and LeBron each knocking one down. Going into the fourth, Los Angeles gained some momentum and was only down by four.
The final frame began with both teams shooting free throws. LeBron was the first player to score points that weren’t free throws, converting on a layup. His fourth-quarter takeover continued as he drained a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game.
LaRavia went on a personal 4-0 run, which put the Lakers in the lead at the 7:04 mark.
It was a back-and-forth battle as the teams traded the lead. LeBron added another four points to his dominating night.
Back-to-back triples from Luka put the Lakers up by nine with 2:08 left. Jaylen Wells had tried to keep the Grizzlies in it with four points of his own, but LA was starting to pull away.
Despite Wells’ attempt to keep Memphis in it, Los Angeles held on for the win.
Key Player Stats
Dončić ended with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. LeBron scored 26 points with seven rebounds and 10 assists. LaRavia had 26 points with five rebounds.
Ayton notched 15 points with eight rebounds. Marcus Smart had four assists and six points. Vanderbilt pitched in with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday at 5:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
