Highlights: Austin Reaves Comes Up Big Down Stretch To Lead Lakers To Win Over Grizzlies
03/30/2025 09:00 AM
Coming off a devastating loss to the Chicago Bulls on a half-court buzzer-beater, the Los Angeles Lakers had to flush that away as they concluded their road trip with a very important matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Lakers and Grizzlies came in tied for fourth place in the Western Conference, and a win would clinch any potential tiebreaker scenario for L.A.
After jumping out to a 20-point lead in the first half, the Lakers let go of the rope a little bit and the Grizzlies worked their way back into the game. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. hit a lot of tough buckets, especially in the paint, to avoid it getting away from Memphis early.
Things were close late, but the Lakers’ star trio of Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James came up big to complete a 134-127 victory. With the win, the Lakers are now in the driver’s seat for the fourth seed with eight games to play, which would give them home-court advantage in the first round.
While many people may view Reaves as the third option, he was the key piece to this win. The guard led all scorers with 31 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block. He made every hustle play down the stretch, including crashing the offensive glass to earn extra possessions for his team.
All three of the Lakers’ stars filled out the statsheet as Doncic had 29 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and a steal while James was not far behind with 25 points, six rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block.
Combined, the Lakers’ three stars put up 85 points, 21 rebounds and 25 assists in what was a monster night when the team needed it most.
The Lakers also shot well from deep on the night, going 19-of-43 from beyond the arc, good for a 44.2% clip. Gabe Vincent caught fire in the first half when he scored all 15 of his points, while Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith contributed 13 and 11 points, respectively.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers will now return home, where they have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season. They have some difficult opponents coming in, however, with the Houston Rockets scheduled for Monday and then the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
With only eight games to play in the regular season, every game is super important given how close the Western Conference standings are.
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