The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night in a game that had massive standings implications.
The Lakers and Grizzlies came in tied for fifth in the West with identical 44-29 records. Not only would a win put the L.A. a game up on Memphis, but it would also clinch the regular season tiebreaker. Ultimately, the Lakers were able to come out on top with a big 134-127 victory.
After making a rare mistake at the end of the Chicago Bulls loss, LeBron James was playing with a purpose early. So was Ja Morant though as he made his return to the lineup after missing six games with a hamstring strain.
The Lakers were shooting well from deep early with James, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic all connecting to take an early lead. Gabe Vincent then got in on the action with nine points and the Lakers closed the first quarter strong to take a 39-28 lead.
Vincent stayed hot to begin the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers and the James hit one as well after taking a charge to continue the run and stretch the lead to 20.
From there though, the Grizzlies responded with a 15-2 run as the Lakers missed some easy layups and allowed them to get out in transition. The Lakers did a nice job of not letting go of the rope and closed the half strong, taking a 72-61 lead into the locker room.
The Grizzlies ripped off an 13-4 run to start the second half as the Lakers’ third quarter woes appeared to continue, forcing them to take a timeout with the lead down to two.
Desmond Bane was hot at that point and gave the Grizzlies their first lead before Reaves hit a triple to start an 8-0 run to get L.A. back on track. It still wasn’t a great third quarter overall for the Lakers though as Ja Morant ended it with a three-point play to cut Memphis’ deficit to 102-99 going into the fourth.
After dealing with foul trouble in the first half, Jaren Jackson Jr. really got going for his team to regain the lead early in the fourth. The Lakers’ lack of size was glaring as the Grizzlies were able to get whatever they wanted inside.
James and Doncic began to lock in from there though sensing the importance of this game. After a triple by Dorian Finney-Smith, the Grizzlies needed a timeout with L.A. back up five.
The Lakers defense locked in down the stretch and Reaves had some big buckets and free throws, closing out the victory for his team.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will now return home, but the schedule doesn’t get any easier as they host the Houston Rockets on Monday and then the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
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