Lakers player grades: LeBron James powers L.A. past the Grizzlies

6 days ago 2

The Los Angeles Lakers have been very inconsistent lately, and it resulted in them going 5-7 in December after starting the season 15-4. They started 2026 with a game on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that came in with two straight losses but had won nine of their previous 13 games.

For only the second time in their last 11 games, the Lakers had the lead at the end of the first quarter. But after being ahead 39-31 to start the second period, they went cold and gave up 18 unanswered points, which resulted in them momentarily losing their lead.

After leading 66-60 at halftime, L.A. again saw its lead vanish, this time near the end of the third quarter. It trailed 110-109 midway through the fourth quarter, but it then went on a 12-2 run that effectively put things away and ensured a 128-121 victory.

Yet again, L.A. had trouble getting back on defense and protecting the basketball -- it allowed 18 fast-break points, and its 20 turnovers resulted in 27 Memphis points. But it had a meaningful advantage in free throw attempts and makes, and it outrebounded Ja Morant and crew by eight. Overall, the Lakers shot 58.4% from the field while the Grizzlies were at 47.9% from the floor.

Marcus Smart: A-minus/A

Smart had a strong all-around game on Friday with 13 points on 5-of-9 overall shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range, eight rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block. He committed four turnovers, but he also did a good job of getting to loose balls in this game, and he led the Lakers in plus/minus with 18.

Deandre Ayton: D

Ayton went scoreless, attempted one shot and had two rebounds in the first half. He didn't score his first basket until the 7:33 mark of the third quarter, and his teammates weren't able to set him up for his usual assortment of easy buckets.

He finished with four points on 2-of-4 shooting, six rebounds and one steal in 25 minutes.

Jake LaRavia: A

LaRavia has been a bit of a disappointment so far this season, especially on the offensive end, but on Friday, he played to the peak of his offensive potential. He got off to a quick start with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first quarter, and on a fast break in that period, he had a nice change-of-direction move that led to a dunk. He upped his scoring to 18 points by halftime, and he ended up with 21 points on 8-of-12 overall shooting and 3-of-6 from downtown. LaRavia also contributed nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.

Luka Doncic: B-plus

Doncic shot just 2-of-8 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half. He didn't make his first trey until there were just over four minutes to go in the third quarter, but he played a lot like his usual self in the second half.

He finished 8-of-18 from the floor and scored 34 points with the help of 17 made free throws out of 20 free throw attempts, although he hit just one of his seven 3-point tries. He also had eight assists, six rebounds and two steals.

However, Doncic committed six turnovers, and at least one of them came on a risky pass. He came into this game averaging a messy 4.5 turnovers per game, and he had 5.2 a game in December.

LeBron James: A

James had three turnovers in the first quarter, but other than that, he looked sharp early on. He had 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the first half, and to a certain extent, he carried the Lakers in this contest. His offensive production helped keep Memphis at bay and stabilized things for his team.

He scored 31 points on 12-of-18 overall shooting, plus nine rebounds and six assists. After he had those three first-quarter turnovers, he had just one the rest of the way.

Jarred Vanderbilt: C

Vanderbilt didn't do the usual type of work on the boards he usually contributes. He made two of his four shot attempts, one of which was a 3-pointer, and ended up with five points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 20 minutes.

Jaxson Hayes: A-minus

Hayes only had two rebounds in 23 minutes, but he provided more scoring punch than usual with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He also chipped in two steals and one block.

Nick Smith Jr.: A

Smith played 16 minutes and did his job well. He made three of his four shot attempts and went 2-of-3 from downtown to score eight points, and he also had two assists.

Dalton Knecht: F

Knecht got 11 minutes of playing time in this game, but as has been the case all too often this season, he couldn't get his shot to go through the hoop. He missed both of his shot attempts and made no positive contributions on the stat sheet.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: LeBron James powers L.A. past the Grizzlies

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