The Memphis Grizzlies overpowered the Los Angeles Lakers 131-114 on Wednesday night, using sharp three-point shooting to outlast a strong individual performance from LeBron James.
39-year-old James scored 39 points in an attempt to compensate for the absence of Anthony Davis, who missed the game with left heel soreness.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 20 points before exiting the game in the third quarter due to a right hamstring injury. Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Jaylen Wells each contributed 20 points, capitalizing on Davis’s absence in the paint to control the interior scoring.
Memphis (5-4) shot 48% from three-point range, pulling away from Los Angeles (4-4) and securing their fifth win of the season.
The Lakers, missing both Davis and Rui Hachimura, struggled to protect the paint. Los Angeles allowed Memphis to score 60 points inside.
Rookie Dalton Knecht stepped in for his first NBA start, but the Lakers couldn’t fill the gap left by Davis’ absence, despite James’ impressive shooting performance.
Despite Austin Reaves adding 19 points for the Lakers, Los Angeles was outshot from long range, connecting on only 25% of their three-point attempts. D’Angelo Russell contributed 12 points, though he also struggled from outside, going just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Memphis received significant contributions from their bench, with Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jake LaRavia combining for 27 points.
The Grizzlies were also without head coach Taylor Jenkins, who missed the game due to a family bereavement, leaving assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo in charge.
Nevertheless, Memphis displayed composure on both ends of the floor, using effective ball movement to record 28 team assists and establishing a defensive presence that stifled the Lakers’ comeback efforts.
