Even when the LA Lakers don’t blow out teams, they find a way to survive. The Los Angeles-based team entered the FedExForum Arena in Memphis against the hungry but ‘hurt’ Memphis Grizzlies team last night. The Grizzlies were playing their first game without head coach Taylor Jenkins at the helm and had a point to prove. Meanwhile, LeBron James and co. had their eye set on the coveted 4th seed that the Grizzlies occupied prior to this heated clash. With so many layers to this matchup, it was always going to be an intense affair! The clash delivered to the expectations.
It was a close affair, and Los Angeles triumphed against Memphis, 134-127. Moreover, the Lakers were playing with great motivation. The trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves was nothing short of exceptional on the night, combining for a massive 85 points and 25 assists among the three. Insane! Meanwhile, Gabe Vincent contributed massively from the bench with a 15-point burst. But what motivated them against the Grizzlies? Well, LA got complacent on Thursday night and threw away a 5-point lead against Chicago with just 12 seconds on the clock, slipping the game with just 2 points.
The result? A Josh Giddey buzzer-beater from half-court put the last nail in the coffin for the Lakers on the night. After a disappointing defeat, the mood in the LA locker room was desperate, they wanted to bounce back. Lakers star Gabe Vincent admitted to this after their recent win when a reporter asked him how it felt playing against a desperate Memphis team.
“I mean, I feel like we were desperate for a win, so I didn’t really give a damn about how they were,” Vincent stated. “Um, as far as the buzzer goes, I mean, we just won one the night before. Sometimes, you lose how you went up. You gotta just charge that to the game. It’s a lot of games in this season. So, um, you know, we just had to come out with the right mentality.”
“We were desperate for a win… we showed a good level of grit.”
Gabe Vincent (15 points) speaks with the media after tonight’s win over the Grizzlies. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/fX22qvitl3
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 30, 2025
Desperate, so delivered. With the right mentality, with a hunger to win, you get past what you eye. King James was so motivated that he was seen yelling at his teammates during the matchup. Austin Reaves, who was superb on the night, attested to the incident. The guard even provided the media with some insight on the sudden change in James’s behavior during the game, lauding the 40-year-old veteran’s dedication.
Austin Reaves appreciated LeBron James for yelling at the team during the Grizzlies matchup
Learned from the mistake, acknowledged the fault, the Lakers marched on. So much so that they were not ready to give an inch of advantage to their opponents this time around. While the game ended in a favorable outcome for LA, there were several tense moments during the game. One of the most notable ones was when superstar LeBron James was seen yelling at his teammates during a timeout in the fourth quarter. That’s not very King James-like, especially during a regular-season game.
Jan 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and forward LeBron James (23) talk on the court against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images.
However, it might have been the very burst of emotions from James’ part that allowed the team to maintain their composure during an intense final quarter. After the game, Austin Reaves applauded the 40-year-old superstar for the same. “It’s the first time I’ve heard him yell in a while,” Reaves mentioned. “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.” Well, AR did not go into the details of what James said during the timeout.
Helped? Yes.. That’s because, at one point, LA had a comfortable 20-point lead and looked to have a firm grip on the game. However, that vanished quickly! As Memphis stormed back into the game, the score was 111-107 with 8:35 left on the clock. One could assume James did not want to repeat what happened on Thursday and told the team to focus and see the game out. Nonetheless, whatever the Lakers’ superstar said seems to have worked like magic as LA managed to grab a hard-fought win and climb up the table.
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