James, Hachimura lead way as A.D.-less Lakers top Grizzlies
THE SCORE LAKERS 136, GRIZZLIES 124 Lakers at Pacers, Friday, 4 p.m., SPSN
MEMPHIS, TENN. » Anthony Davis not being available has more often than not been a problem for the Lakers, especially defensively.
That wasn't the case on Wednesday night, as the Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 136-124, for their season-best fifth consecutive victory and pulled within 2 ½ games of idle Dallas for the sixth spot in the Western Conference standings, a spot that would avoid a playin game.
With Davis out, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura picked up the slack after the All-Star big man carried a heavy load the previous night in their double-OT win in Milwaukee.
“We were sharing the ball a lot,” Hachimura said. “Everybody was playing for each other today, passing the ball, all the passes came on the right time, the right spot.”
James, who was back in the lineup after missing Tuesday's double-overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks because of his injured left ankle, had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season to go with two steals.
“It was good to be back out there with them,” James said, “and be able to do a lot of things (Wednesday) to help us win.”
Hachimura had 32 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the season after recording one against the Bucks.
“I've been on him all year about rebounding more, being active on the glass, being an active defender and not leaking out,” Ham said of Hachimura. “He has a tendency to wanna take off running, assuming someone else is gonna get the defensive rebound. And it stops him from participating, but to his credit, he's heard us loud and clear. I'm not the only one telling him this. His teammates, the other coaches are all delivering the same message and he's responding well to it.”
Hachimura's seven 3-pointers (on just eight attempts) were a career-high.
“Rui's ability to shoot and spread the floor tonight was big time for us,” James said.
All five Lakers starters scored in double figures, including Jaxson Hayes (14 points, seven rebounds), who started in place of Davis. D'Angelo Russell had 23 points and Austin Reaves had 13 points and 11 assists.
Taurean Prince (15 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (14 points and seven rebounds) paced the bench.
James' floor game stood out, with the four-time league MVP making his first six shots, helping the Lakers open a 69-61 halftime lead.
The Lakers (41-32) blitzed the Grizzlies (24-49) to start the third quarter, with Hachimura making back-toback 3-pointers and Russell another 3-pointer to extend the margin to 78-64 — a lead that ballooned to 98-71 later in the quarter. The Lakers made eight of their first 10 long-range shots in the third to stretch their advantage.
But when James, who had an individual plus/minus of plus-33, was off the floor, the Lakers struggled.
The Grizzlies closed the third quarter on a 21-4 run with James on the bench, cutting the Lakers' lead to 102-92.
“We let the whistles or lack thereof get the better of us mentally,” Ham said. “Some guys were playing
Up next: downhill, thought they got hit. Whether you think so or not, whether they call it or not, you still got to have a next-play mentality as tough as it is. And they were able to make a run.”
But James and the Lakers found their groove again in the final quarter.