“Here I am”. Austin Reaves retaliated loudly at the crucial moment of the game after a spectacular run. The Lakers guard scored more points in the fourth quarter than an entire game average. Triples, drives to the basket, shots from twos and some assists from behind gave the Los Angeles Lakers a 15-0 run in the last quarter and crushed the Grizzlies on their nearly impregnable court. Reaves also had inspiration from Rui Hashemira and contribution from point guard D’Angelo Russell. The middle class gives the Lakers the win.
The Lakers, seventh in the Western Conference regular season, win at home (112-128) the Memphis Grizzlies, second. This classification is somewhat misleading. Los Angeles made the playoffs with Anthony Davis in top form and the signing of D’Angelo Russell in the final window. With all three on the court, their record is nine wins and one loss.
The team is less and less dependent on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but that doesn’t mean they stop adding more. James was below his usual numbers and still had 21 points and 11 rebounds. And Davis, very fit, contributed 22 points and 12 rebounds. But it was Hachimura’s 29 points with a 79% accuracy rate from the field and Reaves’ 23 points in 31 minutes that made the difference.
At the grizzlies. Ja Morant had to spend more time on the bench than he would have liked due to a hand injury and although Jaren Jackson’s 31 points kept the team afloat for much of the game, the 15-0 run in the last quarter was it finally.
The Lakers’ win is the second so far to come at home in the first few games of every tie. The Knicks upset Cleveland with their first win outside of New York in the playoffs in 24 years. In the remaining games, the favorites have won according to the classification. In the case of the tie between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, it meant the defeat of the champion on the field of the capital of California in a very even game. The Warriors still haven’t played at their level outside of San Francisco this year. The Kings, long out of the NBA playoffs, will be entrusted to De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis.
This Sunday also sees the opening games of the Milwaukee Bucks qualifiers against the Miami Heat; the Los Angeles Clippers against the Phenix Suns and the Timberwolves against the Nuggets.
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