Fourth-quarter comeback! East and James combine for 62 points, LaRavia emerges as a surprise star with 26, Lakers narrowly beat Grizzlies with three players scoring 20+

On January 5th, Beijing time, during the NBA regular season, the Lakers faced the Grizzlies at home. Reeves was still out, with strong performances from James and Doncic, while LaRavia acted as a dark horse. The Grizzlies lost Crowder to injury, and despite six players scoring double digits, they fell short. After four hard-fought quarters, the Lakers rallied to win 120-114.

Statistical summary:

Grizzlies: Wells 23 points, Jackson 14 points, Randall 13 points and 10 rebounds, Crowder 16 points and 9 rebounds, Aldama 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists, G.G. Jackson 11 points

Lakers: Doncic 36 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists; James 26 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists; LaRavia 26 points; Ayton 15 points

Game progression:

At the start of the first quarter, Ayton scored first with a floater, and Spencer responded with a similar shot. The game began tightly contested, but the Grizzlies took the lead with a 7-2 run. Doncic stopped the bleeding by making two free throws. The teams continued to trade leads as the score went back and forth. Near the end of the quarter, the Grizzlies exploded with a 12-3 run in under three minutes. The first quarter ended with the Grizzlies leading the Lakers 34-26 by 8 points.

In the second quarter, Jackson scored first, pushing the lead to double digits. Early in the quarter, the Lakers managed to keep pace with the Grizzlies, preventing the gap from widening. However, mid-quarter, the Grizzlies went on a 7-0 run to extend their advantage to 15 points. LaRavia hit a three-pointer to stop the momentum. Both teams shot well after that, with the score continuously exchanging leads, but the Grizzlies couldn't increase the margin further. By the end of the quarter, the Lakers steadily chipped away at the lead, trailing 54-65 at halftime, down by 11 points.

In the third quarter, Jackson opened with a dunk, but LaRavia quickly answered with a three-pointer. The Lakers then went on a 7-2 run, cutting the deficit to 5 points before Wells hit a jump shot to halt the Lakers' momentum. The Lakers rallied again, and after Smart nailed a chasing three-pointer, the gap was down to 4 points. Midway through the quarter, the Grizzlies extended the lead back to double digits, but the Lakers finished the quarter with a 9-2 run. After three quarters, the Grizzlies led narrowly 87-83.

In the final quarter, the Lakers started with a 7-4 run, reducing the gap to just 1 point. With LaRavia scoring 4 consecutive points, the Lakers took a 2-point lead. The rest of the period was fiercely contested, with both teams exchanging slim leads. Tied at 96, the Lakers then went on an 8-3 run to take a 5-point advantage. In the last 3 minutes, Doncic hit multiple deep threes, boosting Lakers' morale and pushing the lead to 9 points. Wells responded with a contested three-pointer, but Vanderbilt answered with a dunk that sealed the game. The Grizzlies tried fouling to force a comeback but couldn’t overcome the deficit. The game ended with the Lakers winning 120-114.

Starting lineups:

Grizzlies: Wells, Jackson, Randall, Crowder, Spencer

Lakers: James, LaRavia, Ayton, Smart, Doncic