NBA Roundup
LOS ANGELES — LeBron James persevered through an injured ankle, a big first-half deficit and being poked in the eye late in the fourth quarter to add another highlight to his impressive resume.
James made a long, go-ahead 3-pointer with 58.2 seconds remaining, rallying the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-100 victory over the Golden State Warriors in a Western Conference play-in tournament game Wednesday night.
“After the finger to the eye, I was seeing three rims and shot at the middle one. By grace, I was able to knock it down,” said James, who finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season. “I’ve been poked in the eye before.
“It is going to be sore tonight and tomorrow, but we got a big-time win.”
James was poked by Draymond Green while driving to the basket with 2:07 remaining. But he made the biggest shot when the defending NBA champions needed it the most. His 34-foot, 3-pointer over Stephen Curry as the shot clock was winding down is his longest make of the season. According to ESPN Stats and Information, it is also the longest go-ahead shot in the final 3 minutes of any game in his career.
“He proved why he is the best player in the world. Just add it to the list of great plays and accomplishments,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said.
Anthony Davis scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers won their sixth straight and overcame 37 points from league scoring champ Curry.
Golden State had a chance to send it into overtime, but Kent Bazemore had a bad inbounds pass and sealed the victory for the Lakers — who earned the seventh seed for the playoffs and a first-round matchup with second-seeded Phoenix.
“He made a great shot, obviously, at the end. We’ve played against him so many times over the years, we know how good LeBron is,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said.
Golden State hosts Memphis, which defeated San Antonio in Wednesday’s other play-in game, for the eighth seed on Friday. The winner of that game will face top-seeded Utah.
James and Davis were 3 of 19 from the field in the first half before getting back on track. They combined to go 14 of 22 in the second half.
Los Angeles trailed by 13 at halftime and were down by 12 midway through the third quarter before rallying back. They didn’t get their first lead until Kyle Kuzma’s layup 56 seconds into the fourth quarter put them up 81-79.
The final 12 minutes saw three lead changes and five ties. The Warriors were up 98-95 on Curry’s bank shot before the Lakers scored seven of the game’s final nine points.
Grizzlies 100, Spurs 96
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The young Memphis Grizzlies finally have a play-in victory to their credit, yet they’re nowhere near satisfied.
Dillon Brooks scored eight of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to put Memphis ahead to stay and the Grizzlies eliminated the San Antonio Spurs 100-96 on Wednesday night in the first Western Conference play-in game.
“It feels good, but I mean we’re not in the playoffs yet,” Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said. “Just have to turn the page.”
The Grizzlies will play at Golden State on Friday night for the No. 8 seed and a first-round series starting Sunday against top-seeded Utah. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Warriors 103-100 on Wednesday night to take the No. 7 seed and a first-round spot against Phoenix.
Memphis is trying to snap a skid of three straight seasons without a postseason berth with last season ending with a loss to Portland in the NBA’s first play-in game.
“We still have one more in front of us,” Grizzlies center Jonas Valnciunas said. “Really important. The same importance as tonight. It’s going to be do or die. That’s how we build our confidence. That’s how we build our experience.”
Valanciunas had a season-high 23 rebounds and 23 points for Memphis. Morant added 20 points and six assists. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 10 points.
DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay each scored 20 points as the Spurs lost their fifth straight. Dejounte Murray had his fifth triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Keldon Johnson added 11 and Jacob Poeltl 10.
Coach Gregg Popovich said he told his Spurs he didn’t know if he’s ever been more proud of a team that just doesn’t quit.
“No matter what the mistakes, no matter what the circumstances are, they really fight,” Popovich said. “That’s a good base. So, I’m really proud of the way they conducted themselves and played to win.”
The Spurs last led 83-81 on Johnson’s 3 with 6:55 left. Brooks started his scoring spurt with the Grizzlies trailing 80-79, and his driving 5-footer with 5:57 to go put Memphis ahead to stay at 85-83.
“We put ourselves in a hole early, but we fought all the way back, and had the game,” DeRozan said. “Let a couple of possessions slip away from us, and that kind of hurt us.”
Memphis pulled out all the stops possible in a pandemic in the biggest home game since the Grizzlies’ last playoff appearance in 2017 against these very Spurs.
Inside the FedExForum, capacity was doubled to 40 percent with a sellout of 7,019 fans, and a yellow towel proclaiming “NXT UP MEMPHIS” was on each seat. Rapper Al Kapone performed outside during halftime and was shown on the video board with fans joining in waving towels when he sang “Whoop That Trick.”
