LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James and the Lakers went out in front of the first sell-out tiebreaker crowd in the franchise in a decade and promptly produced one of the greatest first quarters in team history.
Los Angeles jumped out to a 35-9 lead to standing ovation after applause from fans eager to return to the Lakers’ tradition of playoff success.
After all that fireworks in the first quarter, not even Ja Morant could carry Memphis Grizzlies Along the way to prevent the Lakers from taking over Game 3.
Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds, James finished with 25 after Dillon Brooks was ejected for hitting him in the groin, and Los Angeles survived Morant’s 24 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Grizzlies 111-101 Saturday Night to 2-1. They lead the qualifying series in the first round.
Rui Hachimura scored 16 points in another powerful effort off the bench for the seventh-ranked Lakers, who came out impressively in this long-awaited return to the true playoff atmosphere of a franchise with 17 titles. Los Angeles tied an NBA record by leading by 26 points in the second quarter, and Memphis couldn’t get closer than 13 until the final two minutes.
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Brooks was ejected 17 seconds into the second period after a Memphis agitator hit James in the groin while guarding him near the middle of the field. While the NBA’s leading scorer groaned on the court, the officials dumped Brooks after a short video review – James stood up and led the Lakers to victory.
James said, “I didn’t make a statement.” “I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m not making any statements. We had the chance to go home and play well at home, and we did. No statement was made. We just wanted to play well and get the win. You don’t need to make statements.” “.
Game four is Monday night in Los Angeles.
Morant scored 45 points in his comeback from a one-game absence with a sore right hand, and even scored 22 straight points for the Grizzlies during his stunning fourth quarter as he tried to bounce back from an early 29-point deficit. He wore a black brace and padding on his hand and appeared temporarily early on, but eventually found his usual unguardable form.
Morant also had 13 assists and nine rebounds, but second-seeded Memphis could never fully recover after the lowest-scoring first quarter in franchise history.
“I think we’ve won by double digits the last three quarters, so obviously this first quarter hurt us pretty much,” Morant said. “(I) feel good, man. Obviously some things you have to play with and tolerate. … In that fourth quarter, I was just trying to win the game. I got right, took the shots, and couldn’t get over that hump “.
With the Lakers booing every move, Brooks had only seven points on 3-for-13 shooting before being ejected. He drew the ire of Lakers fans for his behavior during and after Game 2, when 27-year-old Brooks called 38-year-old James “too old” and downplayed James’ abilities.
Brooks declined to speak to reporters after the game. Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins commented only briefly on Brooks’ firing: “The officials made a call.”
That rivalry remained tender in the third quarter, as Lakers forward Hachimura received a technical foul for an angry reaction to a foul.
Physical play aside, the Lakers were in control of Game 3 until the Grizzlies made it interesting late on, never close to nine points.
“In the first quarter, I thought we were playing hard, (but) our offense greatly affected our defensive ability,” Jenkins said. “The way our men fought in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters showed a great deal of resilience. We have to learn to get better from this. Adversity will bring out the best in us.”
Desmond Bean scored 18 points for the Grizzlies.
Lakers fans stormed Brooks in pre-game practice and every time he touched the ball before he was sent off. Most importantly, the Lakers played with a similar advantage from the opening end.
The Grizzlies went offensively in the first quarter, going 3-for-25 with six turnovers. Brooks was particularly bad, missing 10 of his first 12 shots and making little impact on the defense.
“I thought our crowd was huge,” said Lakers coach Darvin Hamm. “I really felt them in the building. Thank God we gave them something to be happy about, the way we came out.”
Tip-ins
grizzly: Brooks is the only player in franchise history to have been ejected from multiple playoff appearances. He has been ejected six times in his six-year career, and has been suspended twice this season for accumulating technical fouls. … Memphis has not played a postseason game in Los Angeles since 2013.
Lakers: D’Angelo Russell scored 17 points. He had four points in the first quarter, the Lakers’ first such game in a postseason game since Kobe Bryant played him in 2009. … The last NBA Champions playoff game with a packed crowd was in 2013. The Lakers have missed seasons The next six, the 2020 tournament took place in the Florida bubble. They hosted three Round 1 matches in 2021 with an arena half full due to COVID-19 restrictions.