Achi news desk-
Published By: Siddharth Sriram
Last Updated: March 28, 2024, 09:12 IST
United States of America (USA)
LeBron James took over in the absence of teammate Anthony Davis to lead the Lakers to victory (Credit: AP)
Anthony Davis sat out against Memphis after having 34 points and 23 rebounds in a career-high 52 minutes against Milwaukee. He hyperextended his left knee late against the Bucks.
LeBron James had a triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, Rui Hachimura scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers took the lead in the third quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 136-124 on Wednesday night.
Following a 128-124 double-overtime win at Milwaukee without James on Tuesday night, the Lakers won their fifth straight to pull within 2 1/2 games of trailing Dallas for sixth place in the Western Conference, a spot they would avoid and a play-in game.
Anthony Davis sat out against Memphis after having 34 points and 23 rebounds in a career-high 52 minutes against Milwaukee. He hyperextended his left knee late against the Bucks.
D’Angelo Russell added 23 points for Los Angeles, and Taurean Prince had 15.
Desmond Bane led Memphis with 26 points and 16 assists. Jake LaRavia scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and Jaren Jackson added 17. The Grizzlies have lost six of seven.
Despite the extended game the night before, the Lakers seemed fine with their shooting legs in the first half, leading 69-61 at the break.
Los Angeles converted eight of its first 10 long-range shots in the third to extend the lead to 27. Memphis closed the third on a 21-4 run to pull to 102-92 entering the fourth.
The Lakers would maintain the double digit lead through most of the fourth.
The Grizzlies, limping to the end after an injury-riddled season, got an emotional boost with the return of Brandon Clarke. The 6-foot-8 forward had not played since March 5, 2023 recovering from a left Achilles injury. He finished with six points in almost 21 minutes.
