After losing a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers faced a difficult back-to-back situation against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Fortunately, they learned from their mistakes en route to a 111-88 win to conclude a mini two-game road trip without Brandon Ingram, who will be re-evaluated in a week.
With six players in double figures, James and Kyle Kuzma led the way with 20 points each. While the Lakers led by as many as 29 points, the Grizzlies made their runs throughout different parts of the game.
Unlike the loss to the Spurs, the Lakers regrouped during timeouts and responded back each and every time. Josh Hart made three consecutive 3-pointers late in the second quarter while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two timely 3-pointers midway through the third.
While head coach Luke Walton was hoping to rest James and the starters, the Grizzlies went on a 10-0 run to begin the fourth quarter and trimmed their deficit to 19 points.
When James and the starters returned, they quickly restored order and the Grizzlies eventually emptied the bench.
Less than a week after Moritz Wagner scored his first points in the NBA, Isaac Bonga scored his first on a technical free throw.
