The Los Angeles Lakers have started to fall back down to Earth in recent weeks as matchups against playoff-bound teams have given them trouble.
Fortunately, the Lakers had a great opportunity to bounce back as they hosted the Memphis Grizzlies to kick off 2026. Los Angeles already picked up a win against Memphis earlier in the regular season, so the team had to feel good about its chances of repeating that success.
It looked like the Lakers were going to cruise to a win as they dropped almost 40 points in the first quarter and eventually built a 15-point lead before letting go of the rope and allowing the Grizzlies to climb back into the game. Los Angeles has a bad habit of taking their foot off the gas pedal when they build comfortable leads, so of course they had to fight back late in the second half.
While the Grizzlies threatened to steal the win, the Lakers eventually held on for a much-needed 128-121 victory.
Memphis is one of the most foul-prone teams in the league, a perfect weakness for Luka Doncic to exploit as he has one of the highest free throw rates in the league. In true form, Doncic had no problem drawing fouls and getting himself to the line on numerous occasions to keep Los Angeles ahead.
Doncic had a a relatively tough time shooting the basketball, but his 20 free throw attempts propelled him to a game-high 34 points. Doncic also had eight assists and six rebounds.
LeBron James has looked more and more like himself with each passing game as he seems to be getting back into basketball shape. Against Memphis, James was quick to the basketball on both ends of the floor and he used his physicality to get what he wanted at the rim.
James continued to show he has some gas left in the tank as he dropped 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Lastly, Jake LaRavia had another strong outing against his former team as he was effective on both ends of the floor. LaRavia’s scrappiness and outside shooting led to him scoring 21 points, but he also stuffed the stat sheet with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will have a rematch against the Grizzlies on Sunday before hitting the road for a quick two-game road back-to-back. Los Angeles will see the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday before heading back West to face the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
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