LaRavia shares his pride in playing for the franchise after strong performance against his former team.
The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off 2026 with a much-needed 128-121 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, and it was Jake LaRavia who stole the show against his former team with a standout performance on both ends of the floor.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 21-11 on the season and remain in fifth place in the Western Conference, while the Grizzlies dropped to 15-19 and have now lost four of their last six games.
LaRavia's Strong Night Against Memphis
LaRavia delivered one of his best games of the season against the team that drafted him back in 2022, finishing with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field while also grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out three assists, adding two steals, and blocking a shot in 37 minutes of action.
He also connected on three of his six attempts from beyond the arc, which proved to be crucial in the fourth quarter when the Lakers needed someone to step up alongside their stars.
After the game, the Pasadena, California native spoke about what it means to represent the franchise he grew up watching, and his words carried extra weight as he walked into the press conference wearing a Jeff Hamilton Lakers jacket.
"It means something to wear Lakers across your chest," LaRavia said. "I grew up a fan. My dad grew up a fan. We understand the impact that comes with playing for this team, the impact it has on fans who show up, support us, and cheer for us every game. So, I wear the Lakers with pride across my chest every night."
Fourth-Quarter Heroics
The game was tied at 96 heading into the fourth quarter after former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit back-to-back three-pointers to close the third period for Memphis, but Los Angeles responded with a decisive 12-2 run that put the game away for good.
LaRavia played a key role in that stretch by knocking down a huge three-pointer that helped the Lakers pull away, while Jarred Vanderbilt also connected from deep and LeBron James capped the run with a basket that pushed the lead to double digits and essentially sealed the win for Los Angeles.
"I got going pretty early, the ball was finding me, especially in that first half, and I was just able to get going and stay aggressive," LaRavia said about his offensive performance.
James finished with 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting along with nine rebounds and six assists, while Luka Dončić led all scorers with 34 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds and converted 17 of his 20 free throw attempts throughout the night.
Finding His Rhythm Again
LaRavia entered Friday's game shooting a career-low 30.9 percent from three-point range this season after connecting on 42.3 percent of his attempts from deep last year, and he had made just 22 percent of his long-range shots over his previous 10 games before facing Memphis.
He credited his work with assistant coach Beau Levesque for helping him rediscover his stroke, and his three makes from beyond the arc against the Grizzlies tied his season high.
"Beau always says, 'Control the input and the output will show for itself,'" LaRavia said. "So that's kind of what I'm doing right now. I'm just working on my shot, starting with the basics again, and just kind of going from there. And hopefully I can find my rhythm again."
Setting the Tone on Defense
LaRavia also spoke about his defensive responsibilities and the energy he and Marcus Smart brought to the starting lineup while filling in for injured starters Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, who are both dealing with calf injuries.
"That's our role, defensive effort, intensity, physicality," LaRavia said. "When we're in that starting lineup, it starts from the jump. We have to change the game defensively, help us win extra possessions, dive on loose balls, and make winning plays."
James echoed that sentiment in his postgame comments, praising the tone that LaRavia and Smart established from the opening tip.
"It started with Jake, he was locked in from the beginning," James said. "Marcus on both ends of the floor, obviously taking the challenge on guarding Ja. Those two guys set the tone for us and we needed it."
The Lakers will face the Grizzlies again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in the second game of the back-to-back series between the two teams.