Jock Landale impressed with a double-double including a particularly dominant first half. But it was quickly overshadowed by Luka Doncic’s 36-point near-triple-double in the Lakers’ comeback victory.
Landale scored all 13 of his points in the first half and added 10 rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes in the Grizzlies’ 120-114 loss at Los Angeles on Monday (all time AEDT).
The Australian made his mark early in the game, getting the start in a matchup with former No. 1 pick and former Suns teammate De’Andre Ayton.
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Landale had six points with three offensive rebounds in the first six minutes of the game.
He collected 13 points and six rebounds before the main break, with Memphis leading 65-45 in enemy territory.
But the Lakers came back into the game in the second half, with a dominant 37-27 fourth quarter to ultimately claim the victory.
Doncic led the way with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and LeBron James (26 points, 10 assists) and Jake LaRavia (26 points) also managed to stand out.
Ayton finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
It was the Lakers’ third win in their last four games — including back-to-back wins over Memphis — during a stretch without Austin Reaves.
With that, JJ Redick’s team improved to 22-11 to sit in third place in the Western Conference.
The undermanned Grizzlies, without Zach Edey and Ja Morant, suffered a fourth straight loss in a game where Cedric Coward (ankle) exited early to add to their woes.
The loss saw Memphis drop to 15-20 overall.
In Washington, Joe Ingles scored his first points of the season in a landmark moment that his teammates loved.
Ingles, in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s 141-115 domination of the Wizards, scored on a drive to the rim on his third field goal attempt of the campaign.
Some members of the Wolves bench immediately stood up and applauded their veteran teammate for ending his goal drought.
And in classic Ingles fashion, he then appeared to engage in some cheeky banter with the Wizards bench.
The win saw the Timberwolves improve to 23-13 and sit a half-game behind the Lakers in third place in the West.
In other results, a Devin Booker game winner saw the Phoenix Suns beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-105.
Booker scored a team-high 24 — including this epic go-ahead three with the scores tied at 105-105 with 0.7 remaining in the fourth quarter — as the Suns recovered from being down 18 late in the second quarter.
This handed OKC just its sixth loss of the season as Phoenix improved to 21-14.
Elsewhere, Cade Cunningham scored 27 points and reserve Daniss Jenkins delivered a dazzling 25 as NBA Eastern Conference leader Detroit held off Cleveland 114-110.
With three key contributors, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren and Caris LeVert, the Pistons earned a big win against a Cavaliers team that had won 13 of the previous 14 matchups between the two teams.
Star guard Cunningham added six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a blocked shot. But Jenkins stole the show with a monster 21-point second quarter in which he made all seven of his shots, including six three-pointers.
“My teammates were just finding me and I was open,” said Jenkins, who is playing on a two-way contract.
“I was given space and the key to the game was (if) you have an open shot, you have to shoot.
“They packed the paint a lot, so I went into it with confidence and let it slide.”
Daniels helps Hawks upset Knicks | 01:27
The Pistons outscored the Cavs 47-28 in the period to take control, erasing an early nine-point deficit to take a 10-point halftime lead.
The Cavs, led by 30 points from Donovan Mitchell, cut a 13-point deficit to two with 1:16 left and were within two again with 3.8 seconds left, but Jenkins made two free throws to seal it.
Detroit went a perfect 21 of 21 from the free throw line, with Cunningham making 11 and Jenkins five as they pushed their Eastern Conference lead over the New York Knicks to three games.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers tied a franchise record for futility with their 12th straight loss, falling 135-127 to the Magic in Orlando.
The Pacers are a shadow of the team that fell in the NBA Finals last season, with a string of players hit by injuries since star Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the Championship Series that will cost him this entire campaign.
Pacers forward Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 34 points, but the Magic — led by 31 points from Desmond Bane — took control with a 17-0 run in the second quarter and held on against a late Pacers surge.
The Pacers have lost 12 straight games for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 1989.
Australian Johnny Furphy started for the Pacers and had two points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in 13 minutes.
ALL RESULTS
Pistons 114 Riders 110
Pacers 127 Magic 135
Nuggets 115 Nets 127
Pelicans 106 Heat 125
Timber wolves 141 Wizards 115
Thunder 105 Suns 108
Dollars 114 Kings 98
Grizzlies 114 Lakers 120
