Russell, Lakers blow out Grizzlies
D'Angelo Russell had 24 points and Anthony Davis had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocked shots as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 134-107 in the NBA In-Season Tournament on Tuesday night.
LeBron James had 16 points and nine rebounds in only 23 minutes of action for the Lakers, who improved to 5-0 at home and 2-0 in tournament play with their first straightforward win of the season.
Russell made six of the Lakers' 22 3-pointers, tying a franchise record, and Austin Reaves made four while scoring 16 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists. After struggling with shooting in the first ten games of the season, Los Angeles made 58% of its shots and hit 62.9% of its 3-point attempts against Memphis, outrebounding Memphis 54-33.
Los Angeles had not won a game by more than six points before jumping to a 31-point lead over the struggling Grizzlies in the second half and coasting home with James, Davis, and Russell all sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Santi Aldama scored a career-high 24 points for the Grizzlies, who lost two more players to injury while failing to build on their surprise victory over the Clippers on Sunday.
Marcus Smart suffered a left ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. After landing awkwardly on Reaves' foot, the veteran guard struggled to put weight on his foot. When Memphis returns home, Smart will be re-evaluated.
Luke Kennard also missed the second half with left knee soreness for the Grizzlies, who made 20 3-pointers but struggled to score in the paint against a Los Angeles defense led by Davis.
The teams received a total of five technical fouls in the first quarter after an altercation under the basket between Davis and Aldama.
After Davis scored, Aldama grabbed the ball and approached Davis, who retaliated by shoving the Spaniard. Russell shoved Desmond Bane after he confronted Davis. Jenkins received a technical as well.
The Lakers then cruised to a 74-51 halftime lead in their highest-scoring first half of the season, led by Davis' 15 points and eight rebounds.
James returned after missing Sunday's win over Portland to rest his injured shin, but Los Angeles was missing Gabe Vincent and Jarrett Vanderbilt, who has been cleared to resume his recovery from a heel injury that has kept him out all season.
"Not 100%, but still good enough to go out there," James said of his shin.
SportsLigue