The Los Angeles Lakers were in a great position to get back to the .500 mark on Wednesday night. They held a 13-point lead over the Memphis Grizzlies on the road late in the third quarter. LeBron James was having another incredible game to carry the team, but then things quickly unraveled.
With 3:38 remaining through the final buzzer, the Memphis Grizzlies outscored the Lakers 37-19, pulling off the come from behind victory to win their third game in a row. Keying that comeback was their budding superstar, Ja Morant.
Morant scored 41 points, the second time this season that he has surpassed the 40-point mark against the Lakers in as many matchups. He added 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks for an incredible stat line.
The Murray State product nearly outscored the Lakers by himself during the aforementioned stretch, scoring 16 of his 41 points in that time frame. Los Angeles had no answer for him as he had his jump shot going in this one.
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Morant knocked down 6-of-7 from 3-point range, making it impossible for the Los Angeles Lakers to keep him in front as they had to extend their defense to try and slow down his hot shooting night. He was also 9-of-12 from the free-throw line as the Lakers couldn’t do more than just foul him on multiple possessions.
“When you shoot the ball as well as he did tonight from the perimeter, with his speed and his athleticism, it’s gonna be hard to contain a guy like that because he’s doing the whole three levels of scoring,” said James. “You can’t — there’s nothing you can do. He has you at his beck [and call].”
LeBron James did all he could to keep pace with Ja Morant, as he poured in 37 points of his own, the sixth straight time he has scored at least 31. James also connected on eight 3-pointers, tying his career high. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to help the Lakers get a win.
The 16-point flourish was the second impressive stretch of the game for Morant. Between the second and third quarters, he single-handedly kept Memphis afloat as he scored 16 consecutive points for the team.
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Los Angeles was hoping to close out a 2-0 road trip after defeating the Houston Rockets the night before. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, as Ja Morant had other plans.
The Lakers are now returning home for a soft stretch in their schedule that they have to capitalize on. A five-game homestand begins Friday in which the Lakers will face off against four teams under the .500 mark. The homestand concludes with a rematch against the Grizzlies before facing off with the Sacramento Kings again.
That makes five of the next six games against losing teams. The Los Angeles Lakers are under .500 themselves, so if they want to get things back on track, there is no better time than now.
