Lakers Final Score: LA Survives Memphis On Road To Take 1-0 Playoff Series Lead
Your Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Memphis Grizzlies, in Memphis, during their first playoff meeting this year, running away from the Grizz in a late run to win on the road, 128-112, and steal homecourt advantage in a best-of-seven first round series.
Center Anthony Davis turned in a magnificent two-way clinic, after briefly departing the game with a shoulder stinger near the end of the contest's first half. LeBron James had a relatively quiet, but efficient, night.
But the top scorers of the evening, in part due to Memphis' heavy coverage on Davis and James inside, were two key Los Angeles role players: reserve power forward Rui Hachimura and starting shooting guard Austin Reaves, the latter of whom was making his playoff debut as a pro.
That duo combined to score 52 points and help LA put the game away late in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on a hand injury to the Grizzlies' best player, All-Star point guard Ja Morant.
In the game's first quarter, LA -- who had started the game as four-point underdogs playing on the road to the higher-seeded Grizzlies -- announced itself with particularly impressive early play from The Brow, who led Los Angeles with eight points, five rebounds and two blocks as the club took a 32-27 lead over Memphis.
Not to be outdone, the Grizzlies responded with force in the matchup's second period. AD's Grizzlies counterpart, All-Star power forward/center Jaren Jackson Jr., scored 11 points in the frame and 19 through the first half. He helped Memphis outscore Los Angeles 38-27 in the period to take a 65-59 lead heading into the break. Davis departed for the locker room with 1:15 remaining in the half, but would return to the floor to start the third period for LA.
Los Angeles struggled outside of the paint, going just 5-for-18 in the first half.
With Davis back at the top of the third, the Lakers resumed their winning ways. As the Grizzlies defense clogged the post to make LA's role players beat them, Hachimura, Reaves, and Russell stepped up.
Hachimura himself got red-hot in the frame, nailing four triples to score 12 points in the period!
The Lakers shot 7-for-12 in the third quarter alone following that miserable shooting night in the first half.
Jaren Jackson showed off his improved scoring game to a national audience today, backing down James throughout:
A balanced offensive attack allowed LA to outscore the Timberwolves 37-25 in the third frame. The Lakers led by two possessions heading into the final period, 96-90.
Thanks primarily to the efforts of reserve point guard Tyus Jones and swingmen Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies kicked off the quarter on an 11-2 run to reclaim the lead, temporarily, 101-98. To be fair, Davis and Reaves were sitting for most of that stretch.
A 7-0 LA run midway through the quarter helped the club reclaim a marginal lead, 105-101. It was here that Morant fell after securing a rebound and left the game, for good, with a right hand injury.
Reaves scored a whopping 14 of his 23 points in the game's fourth frame, mostly around the basket on drives and pull-ups. At one point, he scored nine in a row for Los Angeles.
Capitalizing on the absence of the Grizzlies' best player, an absolutely dominant 15-0 Lakers tear in the game's final minutes effectively shut up a rowdy Memphis crowd.
We were treated to Shaquille Harrison's 2022-23 Lakers debut, for 30.1 seconds of garbage time with the game already wrapped up. Mo Bamba, now again totally out of LA's rotation, joined him for those 30.1 seconds, as did Lonnie Walker IV, Max Christie, and Wenyen Gabriel, as Hachimura has effectively become Darvin Ham's backup five.
On the bright side for Morant, a long-term injury would give him more time to threaten kids, security guards, and opposing player entourages, and we all know how much he loves to do that.
Davis recorded a playoff career high of seven blocks (!), and was probably the game's two-way MVP. He scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, all within the three-point arc, and 2-of-2 free throw shooting. He also pulled down 12 rebounds, dished out for three dimes, and notched three steals.
AD finished with a game-high +27 plus-minus. When he's playing like this, even against another terrific two-way behemoth like Jackson, he's just hard to stop.
Rui Hachimura bested his previous Lakers high of 20 points with 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the floor (5-of-6 from deep) and 2-of-2 from the foul line. He also chipped in six rebounds and an assist.
Per the ESPN broadcast, Hachimura, Reaves, Davis and James (21 points) were the first Los Angeles quartet to finish scoring 20+ points apiece since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott and James Worth did it in 1988 en route to the Showtime Lakers' fifth title.
Jaren Jackson finished with a game-most 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor (2-of-4 from deep) and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, plus five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
The Lakers enjoyed a rare night of major success from long range. Los Angeles shot 16-of-37 (43.2%), besting both the Grizzlies' total takes and makes (Memphis went 13-of-36 for a 36.1% three-point shooting night). LA also led the Grizzlies in rebounds (53-40), fast break points (26-17), points off turnovers (22-15), and bench scoring (39-24).
The injury-prone-but-healthy Lakers will get to enjoy a three-day reprieve before their next matchup with a very banged-up Memphis club, scheduled for Wednesday night.
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