Upon returning to the Los Angeles Lakers locker room following Game 4, LeBron James was met with a harmonious refrain of bleats from his teammates.
They have been merely saluting the G.O.A.T. in his personal language to have fun a efficiency that was something however outdated – and a gritty win that put the Lakers getting ready to the second spherical.
James made the tying layup with 0.8 seconds left in regulation earlier than scoring 4 of his 22 factors in additional time. The Lakers surged to a 3-1 lead of their first-round playoff sequence with a 117-111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night time.
The 38-year-old James additionally grabbed a profession playoff-high 20 rebounds for the primary 20-20 recreation of his 20-year profession. The prime scorer in NBA historical past added seven assists and two blocked photographs whereas committing only one turnover in his document 270th playoff recreation.
“I just try to be as great as I can be offensively, but more importantly on the defensive end,” James stated. “That was the mindset tonight. I was able to make a couple of plays. … My teammates told me I had 20 and 20. It’s the first time I’ve done it in my career, so that’s pretty cool, I guess.”
James by no means responded with phrases after Dillon Brooks dismissed him as “old” following Game 2 final week, however his play continues to make the Grizzlies’ agitator look simply as hubristic and silly as he sounded. Unfortunately, it has additionally put the second-seeded Grizzlies on the precipice of first-round elimination.
Austin Reaves scored 23 factors and Anthony Davis had 5 of his 12 in additional time for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who gained two straight house video games to maneuver one win shy of their first playoff sequence victory exterior the Florida bubble since 2012.
“He just took over down the stretch,” Davis stated of James. “Got us a bucket to get to overtime. … All our guys, it was a good team effort. This team is not going to go away.”
Los Angeles surged again from a seven-point deficit with 5 minutes left in regulation with a rally that abruptly started when D’Angelo Russell hit three consecutive 3-pointers, and the Lakers by no means trailed in OT.
“I’m so proud of our guys, the way we fought,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham stated. “We found a way.”
Game 5 is Wednesday night time in Memphis.
Desmond Bane scored 36 factors and hit a tie-breaking layup with 6.7 seconds left in regulation for the Grizzlies, who must rally from a 3-1 sequence deficit and win a Game 7 for the primary time in franchise historical past to advance. Bane scored 14 factors within the fourth quarter however was held scoreless in additional time, lacking his solely two photographs.
“Obviously, LeBron gets to his right hand, which can’t happen at the end of the game,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins stated. “Some breakdowns for us. Very disappointing loss.”
Ja Morant scored 19 factors along with his injured proper hand, however Davis blocked his jumper on the regulation buzzer. The Grizzlies then missed six of their first eight photographs in additional time whereas committing two key turnovers.
Brooks had 11 factors for Memphis after getting ejected from Game 3 for hanging James within the groin. Brooks and Morant each declined to talk to reporters afterward.
James coolly scored the basket that compelled additional time over heavy defensive strain, and he hit an enormous layup whereas getting fouled to place the Lakers up by 5 with 29.1 seconds to play in OT.
James flexed and roared on the ecstatic Lakers crowd after that shot, celebrating probably the most thrilling moments of his five-year Lakers tenure.
“I’ve been a part of moments where you know you get a dagger play or a kill shot,” James stated. “I felt like that play – it wouldn’t close the door, but there wasn’t much light at the end. So I just let the emotion come out.”
Dennis Schroder and Austin Reaves buried two free throws apiece to seal the Lakers’ twelfth win in 15 video games relationship to the common season.
The Lakers trailed for a lot of the second half, and Davis didn’t look sharp for a lot of Game 4 whereas combating an obvious hip harm that required a heating pad on the bench. But Davis blocked 4 photographs, and the Lakers excelled every time the massive man was defending the rim.
Morant’s 45-point efficiency in Game 3 wasn’t sufficient to dig the Grizzlies out of an early 29-point gap in his first recreation again from an harm absence along with his sore hand.
He then reacted with apparent ache after he jammed the hand into the bottom once more in the course of the third quarter of Game 4, however stored taking part in and even dunked on Rui Hachimura an prompt earlier than the quarter buzzer.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
