Just as they did in Game 1, the Los Angeles Lakers made a big statement to the Memphis Grizzlies and the rest of the NBA in Game 3 of their playoff series on Saturday night.
This time, they got it done with a dominant first quarter that saw them on top 35-9 after 12 minutes. Memphis tried to fight back but to no avail. The Lakers secured a 111-101 win and took a 2-1 series lead.
It was a physical and chippy contest in which L.A. was the aggressor. Early in the third quarter, Dillon Brooks hit LeBron James in the groin, was called for a flagrant two foul and was ejected. It was one of a few dust-ups throughout the game before an amped-up Crypto.com Arena crowd.
Fans on Twitter were pleased with the victory.