Shorthanded or not, the Los Angeles Lakers are doing well.
Los Angeles extended its winning streak to five with a 136-124 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in a Western Conference showdown at FedExForum on Wednesday. The Lakers improved to 41-32 overall, but the Grizzlies fell to 24-49 and 1-6 in their last seven games.
The Purple and Gold got a boost from the return of LeBron James, who missed Tuesday's dramatic come-from-behind win over the Milwaukee Bucks with a left ankle injury, but will still be without one of their go-to options for the second night. Ta.Back to back with Anthony Davis sidelined due to a knee injury.
Fortunately for the winners, they were playing one of the worst teams in the league and had the upper hand with a balanced attack featuring seven double-digit players.
James was one of them, achieving a triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists, and Rui Hachimura had an overwhelming performance with 32 points and 10 rebounds on 7 of 8 deep shots. D'Angelo Russell (23 points) and Taurean Prince (15 points) combined for eight 3-pointers, and Austin Reaves posted a double-double (13 points, 11 assists) for the Lakers.
Hachimura and James in particular received a lot of reaction from social media.
Seeing how they fare against the Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns for the 6th-8th seed in the Western Conference, each remaining game of the season will be even more important for the Lakers.
James hits an alley-oop slam, Hachimura picks up the ball for the absent Davis, Russell hits from beyond the arc, Reaves distributes, Jackson Hayes provides a low lift, and more. , they approached the match with a sense of urgency as expected.
Los Angeles appeared to erase any doubts about the result in the third quarter as James put the finishing touches on his triple-double, with Hachimura, Russell and Prince firing from deep.
Even though the Grizzlies closed the third quarter on a 15-0 run and got within striking distance, Hachimura hit two monster threes early in the fourth to stop the bleeding and end the game. Contributed.
If he continues to play at this level with James and Davis leading late, the ceiling will get even higher for the Lakers as they look to continue their winning streak Friday against the Indiana Pacers.
