Rui Hachimura scored a game-high 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds, helping lead the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 136-124 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
LeBron James, back after missing one game due to an ankle injury, logged 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for the Lakers (41-32), who won their fifth straight game. D’Angelo Russell also had 23 points, Taurean Prince scored 15 points, and Jaxson Hayes and Spencer Dinwiddie logged 14 points apiece.
Los Angeles’ Austin Reaves chipped in 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Desmond Bane led Memphis (24-49) with 26 points and 16 assists, while Jake LaRavia scored 25 off the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 17, and Lamar Stevens and Scotty Pippen Jr. each had 11. GG Jackson scored 10 points for the Grizzlies, who have lost six of seven games.
Building on their eight-point halftime lead, the Lakers opened the second half on a 9-3 run, getting two 3-pointers from Hachimura and one from Russell for a 78-64 advantage.
Pippen’s free throw trimmed the Grizzlies’ deficit to 83-70, but a 15-1 Los Angeles run capped by a layup from James gave the Lakers a 98-71 lead with 4:17 to go in the third quarter.
However, the Grizzlies finished the quarter on a 15-0 run, with LaRavia’s triple cutting the Lakers’ lead to 102-92 heading into the fourth.
The run continued on the first play of the final quarter, as LaRavia hit another 3-pointer to trim the deficit to seven.
The Lakers then pulled away thanks to a 13-3 sequence, finished with a pair of James free throws with 8:53 renaming.
Back-to-back triples from GG Jackson and LaRavia got the lead down to 10 with 6:38 left, but a 7-0 Lakers run produced a 17-point lead with 5:08 remaining.
In the first quarter, Dinwiddie’s triple at the 3:37 mark gave the Lakers a 30-20 advantage before Memphis finished the quarter on a 16-7 run.
Stevens’ three-point play gave the Grizzlies a three-point lead with 9:26 left in the half.
From there, the Lakers went on a 12-2 run, capped with James’ free throw with 5:09 remaining.
Stevens’ jumper trimmed Los Angeles’ lead to 65-59, but four straight Reaves points gave the Lakers a 69-59 advantage with 54 seconds left. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s jumper cut Memphis’ halftime deficit to 69-61.
