In their last home game of the season, the Lakers looked to severely damage the playoff hopes of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers came into this game having lost six straight games while the Grizzlies had won their last two games.
Nick Young spoke about being ‘player haters’ to the teams fighting for the playoffs and the Lakers were competitive in the first half, but the third quarter haunted the team in route to a 102-90 loss.
First Quarter
The Lakers got off to a good start offensively behind Jodie Meeks who scored seven of the team’s first 11 points. The Lakers also moved the ball very well assisting on their first seven baskets to jump out to a 16-10 lead. Marc Gasol kept the Grizzlies in it early, and they would go on a 9-0 run to take a 22-20 lead. The Lakers defense was on point, keeping the Grizzlies off the offensive glass and forcing a few turnovers. A Sacre dunk after a pick and roll gave the Lakers a 27-23 lead after the first.
Second Quarter
The Lakers defense continued to hold up at the outset of the second quarter. Young followed a great challenge with a three on the other end. Wesley Johnson would get things going with a three and a huge finish on an alley-oop to give the Lakers a nine point lead. The Grizzlies would immediately erase the deficit and take the lead with a 13-0 run of their own led by Mike Conley. The Lakers responded with their own six point spurt to retake the lead. The teams continued to trade the lead over the remainder of a back and forth quarter with Conley’s three giving the Grizzlies a 53-52 lead at halftime.
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Third Quarter
Both teams got off to a slow start offensively in the third. The Lakers finally started to get going behind Meeks and Sacre, but Conley and Gasol matched every Lakers basket. A 12-4 spurt gave the Grizzlies a seven point lead midway through the quarter. The teams traded a couple baskets as Gasol scored in every way possible for the Grizzlies while the Lakers struggled to get anything going. Things began to get away from the Lakers as another bad third quarter allowed the Grizzlies to push the lead to double digits. A 34-17 quarter pushed the Grizzlies lead to 18.
Fourth Quarter
Neither team scored in the first three minutes of the quarter before Mike Miller and Kosta Koufos got a couple of baskets for the Grizzlies. Memphis pushed the lead out to as much as 22 before Sacre finally ended a nearly 10 minute scoring drought for the Lakers. The Lakers would go on a 13-4 run to cut the lead to 13 with four minutes remaining, but the Grizzlies continued to answer every Lakers run. The Lakers battled until the end, but it was too much Conley and Randolph as the Grizzlies would leave Staples Center with a 102-90 win.
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Nick Young With A Special Message For Lakers Fans Before Their Last Home Game