The first week of the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament is in the books and fans were treated to several exciting games.
The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off group play on the road against the Phoenix Suns and took home the victory after overcoming a slow start. The Lakers looked like they were in store for their fourth consecutive defeat, but they rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Suns.
Los Angeles got a vintage performance from LeBron James, who led the team in scoring with 32 points, while Cam Reddish stepped up as a starter and knocked down five 3-pointers. However, Kevin Durant made sure Phoenix didn’t go down quietly as he led all scorers with 38 points.
As for the rest of Group A, Utah Jazz is currently in the lead as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 127-121. The Jazz got 52 points combined from Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, while the Grizzlies got a strong performance from Desmond Bane, who led all scorers with 37 points.
This marked Memphis’ second loss in group play as they lost to the Portland Trail Blazers last Friday. It was an overtime thriller between the Grizzlies and Trail Blazers, but the latter was able to hold on thanks to Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon who combined for 50 points.
Meanwhile, Bane led Memphis in scoring with 33 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
The young Trail Blazers are currently third in Group A as they’ve got a plus-two point differential compared to a plus-three differential for the Lakers. The Jazz sit at first because they’ve got the highest point differential at plus-six.
Week 2 of group play begins on Tuesday when Portland takes on Utah, while Los Angeles faces off against Memphis. On Friday, the Suns will head to the Jazz while the Lakers will hit the road to play the Trail Blazers.
Only the teams with the best record in their respective group plus two wild cards will advance to the knockout stage of the In-Season Tournament, so the Lakers are well within range to win Group A. Los Angeles gets a winless Memphis team that’s already racked up two losses, so expect them to be extra motivated next week to beat the purple and gold and get back on track.
Full details on the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament can be viewed here.
Group A standings
1. Utah Jazz: 1-0, +6 point differential
2. Los Angeles Lakers: 1-0, +3 point differential
3. Portland Trail Blazers: 1-0, +2.0 point differential
4. Memphis Grizzlies: 0-2, -4 point differential
5. Phoenix Suns: 0-1, -3 point differential
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