Coming in, Friday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies looked like a mismatch. Memphis was on an 11-game winning streak and boasted the NBA’s best defensive rating, as well as a young, long and feisty roster.
It went up by 13 late in the third quarter, and even worse, it killed the Lakers in the paint by outrebounding them 63-47, which included a whopping 24 offensive rebounds, while holding them to just 40.9 percent shooting.
A recipe for disaster as far as the Lakers were concerned, right?
Think again.
LeBron James and crew scratched and clawed down the stretch and pecked away at the Grizzlies’ lead, and by making more big plays, L.A. somehow came out on top, 122-121.
Memphis killed itself by going just 26-of-40 from the free throw line, while Ja Morant was only 9-of-29 and committed five turnovers.
After losing three close games at home in painful and frustrating fashion, the Lakers finally won one, against the NBA’s hottest team to boot.