Lakers' stars ignited a fourth-quarter surge, snatching victory from the Grizzlies yet again. Memphis falters despite building another substantial lead.
The Memphis Grizzlies built another cushion, absorbed another injury, and watched another fourth-quarter lead dissolve against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luka Dončić flirted with a triple-double with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied for a 120-114 victory Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, sweeping a two-game set from the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.
Jake LaRavia continued his strong play against his former team with 26 points, and Deandre Ayton added 15 as Los Angeles followed up Friday’s 128-121 win with another comeback. The Lakers have now won consecutive games for the first time since mid-December.
Memphis, meanwhile, dropped its fourth straight game — its longest losing streak since November — despite once again putting itself in position to win. The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points in the first half and were up 85-74 with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter before the momentum shifted decisively.
Dončić sparked the turnaround, scoring the next five Lakers points to pull Los Angeles within four entering the fourth. Early in the final period, the Lakers surged ahead with a 14-4 run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Dončić that pushed the lead to 112-103 with 2:08 remaining. An alley-oop dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt off a Dončić pass with 1:24 left sealed it.
Jaylen Wells scored 23 points for Memphis, while Cedric Coward had 16 points and eight rebounds — all in the first half — before leaving the game with a left ankle injury and not returning. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 14 points, Jock Landale had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Santi Aldama added 12 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists off the bench.
The loss followed a familiar and frustrating pattern for Memphis. The Grizzlies held double-digit leads in two of their three losses to the Lakers this season, including Sunday’s game and Friday’s matchup. The collapse also echoed an Oct. 31 meeting in Memphis, when Los Angeles erased a 15-point first-half deficit to win 117-112.
Compounding the challenge, Memphis was already shorthanded before the opening tip. Ja Morant was ruled out roughly an hour before the game with a right calf contusion, and Coward’s injury before halftime left the Grizzlies down two starters on the road.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the game that he had no additional update on Coward’s condition, noting simply that the information remained unchanged.
What stood out to Iisalo was how long Memphis managed to compete despite the setbacks. He pointed to the defensive effort that carried the Grizzlies through most of the night, even as the Lakers’ stars took over late.
“I thought our team did a very good job for a very long time in this game,” Iisalo said. “Being shorthanded, we played three quarters of great defense and held the Lakers under 30 points in every quarter. Then in the fourth quarter, they had high-level individual performances.”
Iisalo added that Memphis generated quality opportunities down the stretch but failed to convert when it mattered most.
“I thought we got a lot of good looks, but in the end, we couldn’t capitalize,” he said.
The late-game issues have become a theme across the two losses to Los Angeles. While acknowledging the frustration, Iisalo emphasized that there were still positives to build on, particularly in terms of effort and possession control.
“Execution down the stretch — we need to find those stops,” he said. “But there are some very positive things. Today we had 20 more field goals than the Lakers. We won the possession game in both games. That’s a great start. We’ve got to find a way to create better shots and knock them down, and on the other end, have a little bit better contest.”
With John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. already sidelined, Coward’s status now looms large for a Memphis team searching for answers — and for a way to finally close out games that keep slipping away.