LOS ANGELES – Two nights after the Los Angeles Lakers used a late surge to get past the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, the teams will run it back again on Sunday (Monday morning, Singapore time) at Los Angeles.
The Lakers were led by their stars, with Luka Doncic scoring 34 points and LeBron James adding 31 in the 128-121 National Basketball Association victory.
They also received a key contribution from Jake LaRavia, who turned a chance to start into a 21-point, nine-rebound performance against his former team.
LaRavia’s fifth game played with at least 37 minutes this season came as he started with both Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves out with calf injuries. Marcus Smart also started and added 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“It started with Jake; he was locked in from the beginning,” James said. “Marcus on both ends of the floor, obviously taking the challenge of guarding Ja (Morant). Those two guys set the tone for us. We needed it.”
LaRavia began his career with the Grizzlies in 2022-23 and made just six starts in 117 games for Memphis over parts of three seasons. Comparatively, he has started 11 of 32 games in his first season with the Lakers.
Looking ahead to the next game, the 24-year-old forward knows that he has to continue being consistent.
“I got going pretty early and the ball was finding me... I was able to get going and stay aggressive and I finally knocked down some shots, so that felt good. I have to continue to trust my shot,” he said.
The Lakers are working to recover from their toughest stretch of the season, with four losses in five games to finish the calendar year.
The Grizzlies are currently in a slump with a three-game losing streak, their longest since a five-game skid in mid-November.
Star man Morant has dealt with multiple injuries that forced him to miss time. He scored 16 points with 11 assists while starting in his fourth consecutive game. It is his longest stretch of games since five consecutive from Nov 3-11.
“Overall, shot quality was a little too high for the Lakers,” Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “But I was happy that we were able to force turnovers and generate transition baskets that way.”
The Grizzlies forced 20 Lakers turnovers that they turned into 27 points. It was the second consecutive game Los Angeles had at least 20 turnovers, so that could be a key factor in their next clash.
“They made a couple of shots. There was a huge (3-pointer) from LaRavia at the end of the shot clock, for example,” Iisalo added, noting his team’s weaknesses.
“I thought we got some good looks but couldn’t convert in that situation and that, a lot of times, is the difference.”
Following Sunday’s game, Memphis return home for a run of four consecutive home games and seven of nine at home through Jan 25. REUTERS
NBABasketball playersLos Angeles Lakers