The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from their heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Bulls with a 134-127 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum on Saturday. While the Lakers were all smiles after the game, there were tense moments during it, like when LeBron James yelled at the team during a fourth quarter timeout. Austin Reaves was asked about that incident postgame, and he liked what James did.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard him yell in a while,” Reaves said. “… It was refreshing to be honest. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it just shows how much he cares. His attention to detail is probably the standard. So, if all of us can lock into that every single possession, you can create something special.”
It’s perhaps not ideal that Reaves doesn’t remember what James had to say during that timeout. Regardless, the two, along with the rest of the team, did lock in to help the Lakers get the win.
The Lakers led by as many as 20 points at one stage, but the Grizzlies stormed back and took a 111-107 lead with 8:35 left in the game. It looked like we might witness another disappointing defeat, but the visitors closed out the game on a 27-16 run to improve to 45-29 this season.
James finished with 25 points (10-21 FG), six rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block against the Grizzlies. It wasn’t a perfect game from the 40-year-old, but it was his best by far since he returned from a groin injury.
James had put up 17.8 points on 42.4% shooting from the field in the four games prior to this one, and you wondered how long it was going to take before he got back to his best. This game against the Grizzlies suggests it won’t be much longer.
As for Reaves, he had 31 points (8-16 FG), seven rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block against the Grizzlies. The 26-year-old continues to impress and is certainly showing why many are starting to believe he is the best third option in the NBA.
LeBron James Wanted The Lakers To Treat This Game As A Must-Win
Reaves stated that he hadn’t heard James yell in a while, and there might be a good reason for that. In his courtside interview postgame, the guard revealed that LeBron wanted the Lakers to treat this contest against the Grizzlies as a must-win game.
“Bron said it before the game, we’re going to play this as a must-win,” Reaves said.
This was indeed a crucial game. Both the Lakers and Grizzlies came into it with a 44-29 record, and the winner was going to end the night at fourth in the Western Conference standings.
That’s where the Lakers find themselves at the moment, and they now own the tiebreaker against the Grizzlies too. They won the season series 3-1, and that could prove to be vital at the end of the regular season.
The Lakers take on the Houston Rockets next at Crypto.com Arena on Monday at 10 PM ET. They’ll be looking to tie up the season series there, with the Rockets winning their first meeting 119-115.
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