Ja Morant made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 41 points as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied for their third straight win, beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 104-99 on Wednesday.
Desmond Bane scored 20 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 for Memphis, which trailed for nearly all of the first three quarters before outscoring the Lakers 26-16 in the final period.
LeBron James tied his career high with eight 3-pointers and finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Lakers. Russell Westbrook recorded his eighth triple-double of the season with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Malik Monk added 15 points for Los Angeles, which has lost six of its last seven games. James, who turns 37 on Thursday, has scored at least 30 points in six straight games.
Memphis trailed by as many as 14 in the second half but cut the deficit to five entering the fourth quarter. Morant made a 3-pointer to cap a 12-0 run and give the Grizzlies a 99-92 lead with 4:28 remaining.
The Lakers pulled within 100-97 on James’ trey with 2:48 to play. Los Angeles trailed 102-99 with 6.7 seconds left before James committed a turnover and Bane made two foul shots to seal the comeback victory.
Morant shot 13 of 27 from the field and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc for Memphis, which has won 13 of its past 17 games. He also grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Grizzlies trailed by 13 late in the first half before Morant scored seven straight points to pull Memphis within 54-48 at the break.
James had 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half for the Lakers, who limited the Grizzlies to 35.4 percent shooting over the first 24 minutes, including 2 of 14 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range.
Monk scored with 4:33 left in the third quarter to extend the Lakers’ lead to 80-66 before the Grizzlies closed the period with a 12-3 run to cut the deficit to 83-78. Morant capped the rally with a 3-pointer, giving him 14 points for the quarter.
Memphis played without Dillon Brooks, John Konchar, Jarrett Culver and De’Anthony Melton, who are all in the league’s health and safety protocol. Los Angeles was missing four players due to COVID protocol or a lack of conditioning upon being reinstated from COVID-related absences.
–Field Level Media