Luka Dončić and LeBron James lift Lakers in fourth quarter win over Grizzlies

1 week ago 2

LOS ANGELES — Luka Dončić and LeBron James took control when it mattered most.

The Lakers are back in the win column behind a strong fourth-quarter brilliance from their stars and company, pushing Los Angeles to a 128-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Dončić poured in 34 points—17 of them from the free-throw line—and James added 31 as the Lakers rallied over the short-handed Grizzlies, opening a two-game set between the teams.

The Lakers will host Memphis again on Sunday.

Dončić finished with eight assists and six rebounds, repeatedly drawing contact and punishing the Grizzlies at the line. James was nearly as dominant, posting nine rebounds and six assists while delivering key baskets down the stretch to put the Grizzlies away after the Lakers blew a 15-point lead.

"He [James] was phenomenal. There was a few stretches there where they made runs and the response from him...it's felt like every time we need a bucket, he just kind of willed. He was phenomenal tonight," coach Redick said on James' night.

After a back-and-forth third quarter, the Lakers broke the game open in the fourth with a decisive 12–2 run. Dončić scored a couple of baskets and assisted on two key three-pointers during the surge to Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt. James capped it with a basket that pushed the lead to double digits and put the game out of reach.

LaRavia gave the Lakers a significant lift in the starting lineup in place of injured Rui Hachimura, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds. Marcus Smart started in Austin Reaves' void, chipping in 13 points and seven assists, while Jaxson Hayes added 12 points off the bench.

"It started with Jake, he was locked in from the beginning. Marcus on both ends of the floor, obviously taking the challenge on guarding Ja [Morant]," James said on LaRavia and Smart. "Those two guys set the tone for us and we needed it."

Memphis, playing without six rotation players including rookie center Zach Edey, placed six players in double figures but couldn’t keep up late. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 25 points on an efficient 12-of-15 shooting night, though foul trouble limited his minutes and impact late.

Former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points and knocked down four three-pointers, while Ja Morant finished with 16 points and 11 assists after a 40-point outing in an overtime loss to Philadelphia earlier in the week.

The Lakers appeared in control early, building a 15-point lead in the second quarter before Memphis responded with an 18–0 run to seize its first lead of the night.

Memphis carried that energy into the third quarter, and Caldwell-Pope’s back-to-back triples late in the period tied the game at 96 heading into the fourth.

But once the Lakers’ stars took over, Memphis had no answer.

Despite shooting 47.9% from the field and hitting 14 three-pointers, the Grizzlies couldn’t overcome Los Angeles’ size, free-throw advantage and late-game execution as the Lakers pulled away to secure the series-opening win.

The Lakers push their record to 21-11 and remain undefeated with a 5-0 record in three-point games. L.A. also improved to 14-3 against teams with a losing record.

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