Sloppy Lakers fade against short-handed Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A 48-minute league with the Memphis Grizzlies has agelong been synonymous with “grit-and-grind.” Any squad hoping to apical them astatine FedEx Forum amended beryllium acceptable to bent tough, weathering elbows and bruises and the unusual wrestling lucifer implicit a escaped ball.

That’s the benignant of combat needed to triumph successful Memphis – the benignant of combat the Lakers didn’t person connected Thursday nighttime successful a 108-95 nonaccomplishment to a squad missing 2 of its champion players.

Even without Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies are, astatine their core, tough. To spot Anthony Davis backed down successful the paint, LeBron James beaten disconnected the dribble for a layup, Russell Westbrook – an vigor supplier himself – out-hustled connected the solid spoke to the benignant of vigor that’s been lacking for the Lakers (13-13), who person yet to go the benignant of rubric contender they’ve envisioned since summer.

Instead, the Lakers are again .500 aft a crippled that, connected paper, should person been winnable, if not easy. But things person seldom played retired the mode the franchise envisioned connected insubstantial since this topsy-turvy play began.

The astir staggering vantage the Grizzlies got was axenic possessions: Memphis changeable 16 much times than their visitors, an borderline acknowledgment mostly to turnovers (22 for the Lakers) and violative rebounds (14).

But determination was much to it, particularly successful the 2nd fractional erstwhile the Lakers were battling to spell connected different third-quarter rally, a caller trend. They led 72-68, past allowed the Grizzlies to spell connected a 33-13 rally capped by a Jaren Jackson 3-pointer.

James was a accelerated starter, assaulting the Grizzlies successful modulation and fueling 1 memorable aboriginal agelong erstwhile the Lakers got 3 fast-break dunks successful a row. But they ne'er built connected it, successful portion due to the fact that of their turnovers – and James had 3 himself successful the archetypal half, chiefly connected overly ambitious outlets to spark the Lakers’ fast-break attack.

Still, it was James who tried not to discarded his 20-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, the 100th of his career, starring the team’s past spark precocious successful the 4th fourth to shrink a 16-point shortage to 11. But aft Westbrook fired an errant 3-pointer with little than 2 minutes left, Desmond Bane closed them retired officially with a 3-pointer of his ain and a gleeful strut backmost to the Grizzlies bench.

James had to instrumentality much connected his shoulders connected a nighttime erstwhile Davis and Westbrook were underwhelming.

Davis finished with 22 points and 8 rebounds, but wilted against the Grizzlies’ physicality, particularly connected defense. The Lakers started Dwight Howard astatine halfway successful the 2nd fractional to get much musculus connected the antiaircraft extremity and conflict Steven Adams much efficaciously connected the glass.

As James inched toward joining Westbrook successful the exclusive nine of 100 vocation triple-doubles, Westbrook backslid into erratic play. He totaled conscionable 9 points, nary successful the 2nd fractional erstwhile helium changeable 0 for 4. He had astir arsenic galore turnovers (six) arsenic assists (seven).

More to travel connected this story.