National Basketball Association
L.A. Lakers 116, Memphis 110
When: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, December 15, 2024
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #61 Courtney Kirkland, #52 Scott Twardoski, #87 Danielle Scott
Attendance: 15106

Anthony Davis shrugged off an injury scare to match season bests of 40 points and 16 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the visiting Memphis Grizzlies 116-110 on Sunday night.

Austin Reaves had 19 points and eight assists while LeBron James, back after missing two games due to a foot injury, chalked up 18 points, eight boards and eight assists for Los Angeles.

Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points before fouling out for the Grizzlies, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. Ja Morant had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, offset by a 6-for-21 clip from the floor and seven turnovers.

Davis retreated to the locker room with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter after hurting his left shoulder in a collision with Memphis center Zach Edey during a rebounding contest.

However, Davis returned with 9:19 left in the fourth quarter and picked up right where he left off, scoring seven straight Lakers points soon after.

James got off to a fast start, dishing out two assists to Davis in the opening minute of the contest before following a thunderous slam with a chase-down rejection of Desmond Bane. He then scored on a tip-in to give Los Angeles a 9-2 edge.

Davis had 12 points and seven boards in the first quarter, which ended with the Lakers up 30-20. The Grizzlies went 5-for-20 from the field in what was their lowest-scoring first quarter of the season.

The Lakers' cushion grew to 44-29 thanks to a 10-0, second-quarter burst, which included a triple from Reaves.

Davis posted a double-double before the teams entered the break, racking up 22 points and 10 rebounds over the first 24 minutes of action to send Los Angeles into intermission up 64-46.

After seeing their deficit grow to 23, 81-58, with 6:22 to go in the third quarter, the Grizzlies took advantage of Davis' absence and closed the frame on a 19-5 run.

Morant used a reverse layup to get Memphis within seven at 105-98 with 5:24 left in the game, but the hosts found a way to hold on.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   L.A. Lakers
Jaren Jackson Jr. 25 Scoring Anthony Davis 40
Desmond Bane 7 Assists LeBron James 8
Zach Edey 10 Rebounds Anthony Davis 16
Ja Morant 6 Free Throws Made Anthony Davis 9
Ja Morant 3 Steals Anthony Davis 2
Santi Aldama 1 Blocks LeBron James 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 110 39.2 9-28 25-30 25 50 3 10 21
L.A. Lakers 116 47.6 10-34 28-39 23 44 7 10 23
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Lakers have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .538 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Golden State. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .611 after a win and .778 after a loss.