The Los Angeles Lakers took a step closer to advancing in the playoffs after an overtime thriller against the Memphis Grizzlies. The final score read 117-111, with the Lakers taking a commanding 3-1 series lead that could potentially end the series if they manage to close out Game 5 on their terms.
A King saves the Lakers
At the center of this victory was LeBron James, who led his team with 22 points and 20 rebounds. His performance was masterful, but it wasn’t complete until he made a driving layup while being fouled by Dillon Brooks with 29.1 seconds left in overtime.
This put the Lakers up five points and allowed them to hang on for the win despite missing the free throw. Additionally, James had seven assists and two blocks on the night, showcasing why he is one of basketball’s greatest players of all time.
Trailing by two points after Memphis’ Desmond Bane made a shot following 6.1 seconds remaining in regulation, James drove straight for another layup that sent the Crypto.com Arena crowd into a frenzy just before time expired.
Without this game-saving shot from James, Memphis may have had enough momentum to pull off an unlikely comeback victory at home due to Ja Morant’s missed 21-footer when Davis blocked it for overtime.
The Lakers saw great contributions from other players as well; Austin Reaves led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting in addition to four rebounds and six assists, while Anthony Davis followed closely behind with 12 points (4-13 FG) and 11 rebounds despite his struggles offensively through most of the game (0-5 FG in first half).
For Morant and Bane, they totaled 19 points each – 8/24 FGs (Morant) and 13/29 FGs (Bane) respectively – with four rebounds and seven assists for Morant, along with 36 total points for Bane.
With this third consecutive win under its belt, Los Angeles has now taken command of this series against an impressive Grizzlies squad that might yet be capable of pulling off an incredible upset if they can reverse fortunes in Game 5 at Memphis on May 29th – pending health issues within both teams’ rosters of course.
