Lakers win in tight 4th quarter vs the Grizzlies
After dropping the first two games of the season, the Lakers came into tonight’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies with a must-win mentality to try and secure their first victory of the season. The Lakers were able to survive a tight 4th quarter in a back and forth battle to deliver the win after clutch free throws from Lakers Malik Monk and Anthony Davis, beating the Grizzlies 121–118.
Looking to get his first all-star nod, sophomore young star Ja Morant gave the Lakers defense a hassle all night long. Morant almost hit a four-point play to essentially win the game for the Grizzlies, but ended up missing his last free throw to send the game into overtime. In 37 minutes, Ja Morant finished with a double-double of 40 points and 10 assists on 13 of 21 (62%) shooting from the field and 5 for 7 (71%) shooting from beyond the arc.
In tonight’s victory, Carmelo Anthony showed just how lethal he can be for this Lakers team in his 18th season. In tonight’s win, Melo moved into 9th place on the All-Time NBA scoring list, passing Hall-of-Famer Moses Malone. In 27 minutes off the bench, Melo scored a Lakers high 28 points on 6 for 8 shooting from three and 10 for 15 shooting overall from the field, showcasing how dangerous he can still be.
Melo was asked about his performance tonight, scoring 28 points and passing Mosses alone on the scoring list, saying:
“To be on that list and pass Moses, it’s hard to put into words.”
Finishing second on the Lakers in scoring tonight, Anthony Davis bounced back from a shaking shooting night in Friday's loss to the Suns, scoring 22 points on 53% shooting from the floor. Davis was able to finish with a season-high 4 blocks on the night and added 8 boards in his performance, coming up big for the Lakers in the 4th quarter with clutch free throws to help secure the win.
Davis praised the Lakers second unit after tonight’s win, explaining how the bench gave a huge spark for the team to get their first win, saying:
“Melo played his ass off, he shot the ball extremely well. He comes in and gives us a spark. Our entire bench did (gave us a spark).”
In a game-high 40 minutes, LeBron James finished with 19 points, on 7 for 19 shooting from the field, and 4 for 9 shooting from beyond the arc. James filled the box score in other areas of scoring, adding 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals to help get their first win of the year.
Russell Westbrook finished his second straight game with a double-double for the Lakers, as he was three rebounds short of a triple-double. Westbrook was able to finish with 13 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals in 36 minutes of action tonight.
The Lakers will travel for the first time on the road this season against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday and Wednesday in a back-to-back road game stint. The Lakers will face another young team just like tonight against the Spurs and Thunder, as the Lakers look to get back to .500 on the season.
At 2-2, the San Antonio Spurs are on a two-game losing streak and are coming off a huge loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Oklahoma City Thunder is still looking to get their first win of the season, and could still be winless as they face a playoff team Golden State Warriors on Monday before they face the Lakers.