Lakers use big offensive night to pick up huge road win in Memphis

With their big three of LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves all scoring at least 25 points, the Lakers picked up an important win in Memphis on Saturday.

The Lakers bounced back in a big way from their heartbreaking loss to the Bulls on Saturday, picking up a big win in Memphis, 134-127.

LeBron James ended with 25 points, eight assists and three steals. Luka Dončić scored 28 points with eight rebounds and nine assists. Austin Reaves had 31 points with seven rebounds and eight assists.

Gabe Vincent was scorching hot in the first half and ended with 15 points. Jarred Vanderbilt had six points off the bench with four rebounds. Rui Hachimura scored 13 points with three rebounds. Dorian Finney-Smith scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds.

LeBron and Austin came out aggressive for the Lakers, each scoring five quick points. Ja Morant was on fire for the Grizzlies with seven points, but only shooting 33% from the field. LA was doing well from behind the arc, converting on three of their first seven attempts.

After missing his first two shots, Luka drained a 3-pointer. Gabe gave the Lakers excellent play off the bench, scoring six points. Former Laker Scotty Pippen Jr. drained two 3-pointers for the Grizzlies.

LA had momentum for the entire quarter, despite Memphis getting the deficit close a few times. Dorian drained his first 3-pointer of the game, giving Los Angeles more cushion on their lead.

At the end of the first, the Lakers ended on an 8-2 scoring run and were up 11.

Gabe stayed hot, draining two more 3-pointers to open the second quarter, becoming the first Laker to reach double figures. Jaren Jackson Jr. ran into foul trouble, picking up his third and heading to the bench. Morant scored in the paint to stop some of Memphis’ bleeding.

The Lakers were thriving from beyond the arc, capitalizing on the Grizzlies’ lack of perimeter defense by shooting 55% from deep. Vando was putting on a dunk show, cutting along the baseline and positioning himself for easy finishes as his teammates fed him the ball.

However, what was once a 20-point lead for LA was down to 11. Memphis was on a 10-2 scoring run while the Lakers were having issues, especially with defense. Los Angeles could not defend Zach Edey in the paint without fouling him.

Pippen Jr. drained another three, cutting LA’s lead to single digits. LeBron struggled to finish at the rim, missing quite a few layups. Despite Memphis’ comeback attempts, the Lakers responded each time, refusing to let their lead slip away.

After the Grizzlies had pulled to within six, LA scored nine straight to keep their lead safe. Desmond Bane kept the Grizzlies close in the end by scoring five points. Luka added some Showtime magic by finding LeBron on a no-look-pass for the dunk.

At halftime, LA was up 11.

The second half began how we’ve often seen for LA: they gave up a big lead fast. Jackson Jr. finally saw some productive, foul-free, playing time and scored five straight points. Bane added six more and, suddenly, Los Angeles’s 11-point lead was down to two.

Out of a Lakers timeout, Bane drained another 3-pointer and the Grizzlies took the lead. Austin answered with a 3-pointer of his own. Luka threw a circus shot off the glass and was fouled, converting on the three-point play.

Los Angeles consistently answered Memphis' scoring runs, refusing to let the Grizzlies keep whatever momentum they gained, including using an 8-0 run that put them back in the lead.

LA scored nine more points off a trio of 3-pointers. Bane and Jackson Jr. were the only players for Memphis who continued to score and keep their team within striking distance. With 2:21 left in the quarter, LeBron shot his first free throws.

The Lakers, again, couldn’t close a quarter properly, allowing Memphis to score four straight points. A challenge by the Lakers went their way, allowing a free throw from Austin. At the end of the third, Los Angeles was nursing a three-point lead.

Memphis started the final frame with a surge of offense to take the lead by four. The lead had gone back and forth between the teams before the Lakers missed shots. The momentum was in Memphis’ favor leading to a timeout by Los Angeles. Out of the timeout, LeBron scored four straight points.

Both teams started trading the lead and ties, again. A jumper from midrange from Luka, followed by a 3-pointer from Dorian put the Lakers up five.

Jackson Jr. picked up his fourth foul after an impressive defensive play by Austin to draw the foul. Luka was finally able to connect with Jaxson Hayes, who dealt with foul trouble on the night, for a dunk.

Austin shot his sixth and seventh free throws, converting on both, and was perfect from the charity stripe. LeBron connected with Rui, who cut the baseline again for a dunk. Austin converted on a three-point play, putting LA up nine with 1:19 left.

The Lakers gave up a concession basket with Bane making a layup. They then held it together and did not allow Memphis to make an insane comeback with seconds left to secure the huge win.

Key Takeaways:

What kind of voodoo magic are we supposed to conjure up to stop the third-quarter woes?

LA was able to answer each time Memphis put together a run to snatch the lead. That’s how you win games without making it an anxiety-filled last few seconds.

The Lakers’ next matchup is against the Houston Rockets on Monday at 7:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.