The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a winning start to 2026, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 128-121 at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. LeBron James dazzled in this one, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised him in his postgame press conference.
“He was phenomenal,” Redick said. “I mean, there was just a few stretches there where they made runs and the response from him… It felt like every time we needed a bucket, he just kinda willed. Whether it was driving the basketball, getting into the paint, getting to two feet, and just was phenomenal tonight.”
James finished with 31 points (12-18 FG), nine rebounds, and six assists against the Grizzlies. He had 10 points and three assists in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers get over the line in what was a back-and-forth affair. They are now 11-0 in clutch games this season, and Luka Doncic credited James postgame for taking over in this one when asked about their success in these tight affairs.
“I think we have lot of people that can close the game,” Doncic said. “I think especially me and Bron. He took over today.”
Doncic was key down the stretch, too. The Grizzlies were up 110-109 with six minutes remaining, and the Slovenian powered a 12-2 run that took the game away from the visitors. He scored or assisted on 10 of those points, and James took over from then.
Doncic ended the night with 34 points (8-18 FG), six rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. This was the first time since March 2025 that both he and James scored at least 30 points in the same game. Concerns have been raised about whether these two can actually play together, and they did well here. The Lakers will need them to keep this up.
LeBron James On What Led To His Excellent Showing Against The Grizzlies
James and the Lakers came into this one on the back of a 126-108 blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The 41-year-old only had 17 points against the Pistons and said postgame that having a couple of days between games meant he had a pop on both ends here against the Grizzlies.
“I mean a couple days helped,” James said. “We did come in the morning of the 31st, got some work in, and then had the rest of that day off, and then yesterday we had off. Got up, got a great workout in this morning. I felt pretty good about how I felt physically and mentally. So, try to get what I got.”
You should expect James’ play to go up and down this season. The 21-time All-Star can still produce magic on the court, but he is more susceptible to duds now than at any point in his career. That is to be expected from someone in their 23rd season.
The Lakers improved to 21-11 with this win here. They had ended 2025 with four losses in their last five, and so starting the new year with a win was important.
The Lakers will take on the Grizzlies again next at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday at 9:30 PM ET. It will be the third and final regular-season meeting between these teams in 2025-26, and the Lakers will be looking to sweep the season series.
