Lakers Steal Game One in Memphis
AP Photo/Brandon Dill
The Los Angeles Lakers stole the game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a final score of 128 to 112. The Grizzlies were the best home team in the NBA this season only losing six games, but the Lakers were not phased.
The show was stolen by the play of Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. This play sums up the Lakers play today:
Rui Hachimura finished with 29 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 11-14 from the field and 5-6 from three. Hachimura is the first Laker since Magic Johnson in 1996 to finish with 25+ points off the bench in the playoffs. He could do no wrong in his first playoff game for the Lakers. The Grizzlies continued to sag off of him on the three point line and he kept touching them. Once he saw some shots go down he started calling plays for himself which led to his deadly midrange, and he also attacked Jaren Jackson Jr. and put him on a poster. I couldn’t be more impressed with Hachimura’s game one play.
Austin Reaves, I can’t say enough about his game. A Lakers team with a fully healthy Lebron James and Anthony Davis put their trust in an undrafted sophomore with no playoff experience to close out game one and he delivered. Reaves had 12 big points in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies had no answer for him. Play-after-play Reaves had Lebron James playing as a catch and shoot player due to his amazing play. I’ve never seen anything like it. Reaves’ shot making, play making and decision-making is so impressive at such a young age. He’s a big time player and is certainly not scared of the bright lights.
While all the talk is about Hachimura and Reaves, Anthony Davis and the Lakers came into the game and set the tone. By the end of the first quarter Davis had already 2 blocks and 1 steal. He continued his dominant defensive performance and finished with 7 blocks and 3 steals to go along with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. Davis is showing why he is considered as one of the best defensive bigs in the game.
Lebron James had a decent game but didn’t play up to his playoff standards. However, he still finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. This is considered a great performance except if your name is Lebron James. His offense seemed a bit sloppy with his 5 turnovers and at times settled for bad three point attempts. Even though his offense wasn’t there, he made his presence be felt on the defensive end. James’ help defense was the best I’ve seen all season long. At the age of 38 years old, he is still pulling off his iconic chase down blocks multiple times throughout the game.
D’Angelo Russell also had a pretty good bounce back game after he failed to show up against the Timberwolves in the play-in. Russell finished with 19 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. Russell impressed me most with his playmaking ability. He started the game off slow and couldn’t find his shot, however, he continued to attack and find his teammates. He certainly did his job today against the Grizzlies and I expect him to only get better once his shot starts falling.
If you’re a Lakers fan, you will take a game like this every day of the week. The Lakers had four players with 20+ points and they played contagious defense. Unfortunately, it’s only game one. The Lakers can’t get complacent and need to keep up this play if they want to upset the Memphis Grizzlies.
