The Los Angeles Lakers (26-16) were able to shake off a huge game from Marreese Speights (25 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and a solid game from Marc Gasol (20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists) to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies (24-17) in double-overtime behind strong performances from two of their own players last night.
Andrew Bynum (37 points, 16 rebounds) and Kobe Bryant (34 points,nine rebounds, five assists) imposed their will on the Grizzlies, and left Memphis victorious on Tuesday night.
Down by 17 at one point, the Lakers used a strong fourth quarter, in which they outscored Memphis, 26-17, to forge a comeback. Behind huge plays from Bryant, Bynum, and Pau Gasol, the Lakers evened up the game, and headed into overtime.
Each team scored just six points in the first overtime, but the Lakers managed to outscore the Grizzlies 13-8 in the second overtime, and pulled away for a much needed road victory against a solid team.
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Behind Bryant and Bynum, Gasol also had a highly effective game. He didn’t score much (14 points), but had eight assists and five rebounds while facilitating many crucial plays down the stretch, including several lob plays to Andrew Bynum. Steve Blake was solid off the bench, scoring nine points, grabbing five rebounds, and dishing out five assists. Derek Fisher, who surpassed the 10,000-point-mark on his career, scored eight points while Metta World Peace had five points and two assists. Matt Barnes (five points) and Troy Murphy (2 points) each had four rebounds, and Andrew Goudelock scored two points in just six minutes of play.
As for the Grizzlies, Tony Allen also had a big game behind Gasol and Speights, tallying 19 points, four rebounds, and four asissts. O.J. Mayo had 14 points (on 7-25 shooting), and six rebounds while Quincy Pondexter dropped in 12 points and four rebounds off the bench. Mike Conley added 10 points, 11 assists, and four rebounds, while Dante Cunningham had eight points. Forward Sam Young scored just four points while grabbing six rebounds.
Now, let’s break down this double-overtime thriller.
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