LeBron James had a triple-double with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, Rui Hachimura scored 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers built a big lead in the third quarter and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 136-124 on Wednesday night.
Coming off a 128-124 double-overtime victory in Milwaukee without James on Tuesday night, the Lakers won their fifth straight to pull within 2 1/2 games of idle Dallas for the sixth spot in the Western Conference, a spot that would avoid a play-in game.
Anthony Davis sat out against Memphis after having 34 points and 23 rebounds in a career-high 52 minutes against Milwaukee. He hyperextended his left knee late against the Bucks.
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D'Angelo Russell added 23 points for Los Angeles, and Taurean Prince had 15.
Desmond Bane led Memphis with 26 points and 16 assists. Jake LaRavia scored 14 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and Jaren Jackson added 17. The Grizzlies have lost six of seven.
Despite the extended game a night earlier, the Lakers seemed fine with their shooting legs in the first half, and led 69-61 at the break.
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Los Angeles converted eight of its first 10 long-range shots in the third to stretch the advantage to 27. Memphis closed the third on a 21-4 run to pull to 102-92 entering the fourth.
The Lakers would maintain the double-digit lead through the bulk of the fourth.
The Grizzlies, limping to the finish after a season filled with injuries, got an emotional boost with the return of Brandon Clarke. The 6-foot-8 forward had not played since March 5, 2023 healing from a left Achilles injury. He finished with six points in almost 21 minutes.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Indiana on Friday night.
Grizzlies: At Orlando on Saturday.
