The Memphis Grizzlies returned to their home court Wednesday night and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-114, in a wire-to-wire win. It marked their first regular season win against the Lakers at FedExForum since February 2023.
Coming off a tough loss in Brooklyn, the Grizzlies came back to Memphis with a chip on their shoulder and a renewed focus on getting back to playing their brand of basketball. It clearly paid off, with a season-high 131 points.
Memphis outscored Los Angeles 60-44 in the paint and made 17 three-pointers to the Lakers’ 15. They also demolished L.A. on the boards — out-rebounding them 50-37.
Turnovers remain a struggle for Memphis, with the Grizzlies giving up 22 points off 18 turnovers.
The Grizzlies still have a lengthy injured list, but they welcomed Luke Kennard to the lineup for the first time this season. Kennard suffered a strain in his left foot in the preseason game against the Indiana Pacers, which left him sidelined for the team’s first eight games.
On the personnel front, Memphis was also without head coach Taylor Jenkins, who is away from the team after a death in his family. Assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo stood in as acting head coach.
Los Angeles was missing center Anthony Davis, who had aggravated a heel injury against the Pistons, and Grizz killer Rui Hachimura, who was listed as out due to unspecified illness.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
The Lakers were led by superstar LeBron James and supporting actors Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. James put up a game-high 39 points, and added seven rebounds and seven assists, while Reaves and Russell scored 19 and 12 points, respectively.
But Los Angeles was no match for the collective force put forth by the Grizzlies, who finished the night with seven players in double-digits.
LeBron James is unquestionably one of the best players ever to pick up a basketball, but Ja Morant remains one of the most dynamic players in the league. Morant fears no man, not even King James himself.
From their starters, Memphis was led by Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and rookie Jaylen Wells, who each scored 20 points. Santi Aldama added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The second unit was led by Scotty Pippen Jr., who scored 14 points on on five-of-nine overall shooting, including three of four from beyond the arc. He added six rebounds, and four assists.
Jake LaRavia contributed 13 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
Jay Huff finished with 11 points, three rebounds, and four assists. He was four of seven in overall shooting, including three of six from three-point range, with all his points coming in the third quarter.
The crowd and the players cheered as two-way guard Yuki Kawamura scored his first NBA points, a pair of free throws with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
Who Got Next?
Friday night, the Grizzlies will face off against the Washington Wizards at FedExForum. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.
