The Los Angeles Lakers have really been struggling in recent weeks, falling below .500 on the season at 17-18 heading into play Friday night after a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat.
They looked to get back on track when they hosted the Memphis Grizzlies, but the losing streak was extended to four as the Lakers fell 127-113.
The Lakers went with the same starting lineup as their last game and got off to another slow offensive start because LeBron James got the crowd going with a thunderous dunk. Anthony Davis then got going inside and Austin Reaves had a three-point play to tie the game at 12 going into the first timeout.
James then got going from deep with back-to-back triples although Ja Morant immediately responded with a quick three-point play and then Marcus Smart buried a triple of his own. James didn’t stop there though as he made two more 3-pointers to give him four in a row.
That got the Lakers going as Davis had a couple nice buckets insider and then Jarred Vanderbilt stole an inbounds pass, leading to another bucket. Luckily for the Grizzlies, Morant beat the buzzer to cut their deficit at 38-29 at the end of the first.
The Lakers picked things up defensively in the second quarter, allowing them to get out in transition with James finishing and then Taurean Prince making a 3. L.A.’s double-digit lead quickly dwindled to just five though with the Grizzlies hitting a few triples of their own.
Davis restored order for the Lakers with a three-point play and then Prince connected on another triple. It was the Grizzlies that got hot against to end the half though to cut their deficit to 59-58 going into the locker room.
The Grizzlies came out hot in the third quarter, quickly taking the lead away from the Lakers. Jaren Jackson Jr. played a big role in that with a pair of triples and a block on defense.
There was a wild sequence midway through the third where James and Jackson were battling for a loose ball with the Lakers coming up with it. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins was furious that nothing was called in favor his team and ran out into the court in anger. Prince had the ball right in front of him and smartly ran into the court to force a technical foul, although no ejection was handed out.
That seemed to provide a spark for the Lakers as they got going offensively again to regain the lead. Morant got hot to end the quarter, however, tying the game at 94 going into the fourth.
The Grizzlies heated up again to begin the fourth, taking a five-point lead and forcing a Lakers timeout.
Davis returned out of the timeout and immediately got the Lakers back on track with a quick bucket followed by three Reaves points to tie the game.
That was immediately responded by an 11-2 Memphis run though, putting L.A. in another hole.
James missed four costly free throws from there and the Grizzlies continued to stay hot from 3, getting their lead back to 10. The Lakers had no answer from there and would go on to suffer the loss.
Upcoming Lakers schedule
Next on the Lakers schedule is a matchup with the L.A. Clippers on Sunday night, and the homestand will continue with games against the Toronto Raptors (January 9) and Phoenix Suns (January 11).
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