The Lakers featured Luka Donnteic and LeBron James celebrate during a 134-127 victory against Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday evening. (Brandon Dill / Associated Press)
If on Saturday felt like a big match, the crowd in full swing while the music was beating in the fourth quarter, it is because the teams treated it as one with the last two weeks of the season at their door.
Pushing towards the finish line, both Lakers And Memphis’ grizzles needed a momentum. Lakers came out of a Dressing loss at the buzzer in Chicago, And Memphis played his first game after shooting the coach Taylor Jenkins in a surprise decision.
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And once the regular season ends, it is very possible that Lakers and Grizzlies will meet in the first round of the playoffs for the second time in three years.
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An early advance was not much important, the grizzles are quickly caught in a match in which neither team could really stop the other.
But in the fourth quarter, Dorian Finney-Smith fought Zach Edey And Jaren Jackson Jr. For rebounds. Luka Donic Slipped his feet to stay in front of Desmond Bane. LeBron James cleaned the glass and Austin Reaves crashed into the paint and put Memphis with a three -point game, adding it with an animated aerial punch.
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If there were emotional damage caused by Josh GiddeyThursday, the end of the game blunders at half-terrain or James against the Chicago Bulls, have never shown it, the Lakers fighting the grizzly ones in a 134-127 Victory.
“I said before the match that we will be ready to play. … I am not surprised to see how much we played and how well we played this evening,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick. “I made sure that the group knew that I still believed and that the coaches staff believed and that they were resolved in their belief in this team.”
The three stars of the Lakers have made high impact matches to end their trip with a victory. Reaves collected 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Dononic collected 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and James scored 25 to go with eight assists and six rebounds.
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Redick met his three stars on Saturday morning in order to improve the way they work together. Against the Grizzlies, the trio dominated.
“Reunion was still trying to build this chemistry among us to help the team succeed,” said Reaves. “And I think that this evening, it has shown that when we play in the right way and we trust ourselves, especially offensively, we can have open looks on almost all possessions.”
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Bane scored 29 points, Jackson had 24 and Ja morePlaying for the first time in two weeks, had 22 for Memphis (44-30). The Lakers stopped if necessary and have never been agitated by Memphis making gunshots.
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“You don’t play a perfect game,” said Reaves. “But the late match, you had to be really locked in what you were trying to do and I felt like doing this tonight. Obviously, abandon, as you said, 127, it’s not how many points we want to give up. So, obviously, we can do better. But when we need it, we have stops.”
The Lakers obtained key contributions from their players, Gabe Vincent making four three and Rui Hachimura and Finney-Smith by each doing three.
“We can get all the wide open plans every time,” said Hachimura.
This is the third time this season that the Lakers (45-29) have beat the grizzles, ensuring them any equal break between the teams in the tight race of the western conference qualifiers.
And with regard to the energy of the grizzly guys under the interim coach Tuomas Iisalo, Vincent said that the Lakers could not afford to focus on his impact.
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“I feel like we were desperate for a victory, so I didn’t really care about how they were,” he said.
Saturday’s victory pushed the Lakers a match in front of Memphis for the seeded n ° 4 in the west. The Lakers welcome Houston No. 2 on Monday.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
