LeBron James Notches Triple-Double in Lakers’ Victory Over Grizzlies, Extending Win Streak to Five

The Los Angeles Lakers faced the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night in the second game of a back-to-back after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in spectacular double overtime.

LeBron James returned to the starting lineup for the Lakers, while Anthony Davis was ruled out following a knee injury sustained while playing 52 minutes against Milwaukee. Due to the fact that the Grizzlies have also seen a fair share of injuries, James and the Lakers proved to be too strong and won 136-124.

In Davis’ absence, Jaxson Hayes got out to a hot start and scored two dunks; however, former Laker Scotty Pippen Jr. also got Memphis off to a quick start with five points in the first five minutes.

James got rolling right on, driving for two layups to give the Lakers a 14-9 lead entering the first break.

Austin Reaves was dishing out assists to James and Hayes while the Lakers were dishing out lobs in large quantities early on. Then, Spencer Dinwiddie made a triple to give Los Angeles its first lead of more than ten.

However, once James and Reaves went to the bench, the Grizzlies, led by Desmond Bane, heated up from deep, reducing their deficit to 37-36 at the half.

After Russell made another three-pointer to start the second quarter, Hachimura took off, scoring seven points that included a slam and a corner three. Both Reaves and Hachimura were providing L.A. with easy offensive opportunities, much like they did during the playoff series in Memphis last year. The Lakers had a solid finish to the half and led 69-61 going into the locker room.

At the start of the second half, Hachimura continued where he left off, making back-to-back 3-pointers. After Russell joined in, the Lakers suddenly had a 14-point lead. Russell followed up with another deep shot, and Taurean Prince also connected as they kept hammering away.

James appeared to be fine after taking a hard tumble near the conclusion of the third quarter and continued to play. After that, he assisted Dinwiddie for a three-pointer and had a steal and layup, giving the King a triple-double. The Lakers, however, appeared to be unstoppable as they accumulated a 27-point advantage.

Not quite so quickly, though, as James moved to the bench and the Lakers decelerated. To end the third quarter, the Grizzlies went on a massive run that reduced their deficit to 102-92.

It was only fitting that Hachimura opened the fourth quarter with a three and a block, as the Lakers needed to gather their thoughts.

The Grizzlies, who would not go away quietly, were led by Jake LaRavia and managed to maintain a deficit of roughly ten points. However, James eventually had enough and entered assault mode one final time to permanently close the game.