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The Los Angeles Lakers needed overtime, but they came away with their third victory of the first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, 117-111, to take a commanding 3-1 lead.
It was LeBron James delivering the decisive blow to Memphis, as he made a driving layup while being fouled by Dillon Brooks for an and-one opportunity with 29.1 seconds left in overtime.
Despite missing the free throw, James’ layup made it a five-point game with 29.1 seconds left, and the Grizzlies were unable to muster another comeback.
James finished the game with 22 points on the night on 8-of-18 shooting. But he had an outstanding 20 rebounds to lead the game in that category along with seven assists and two blocks.
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It was also James taking the game into his own hands when the Lakers were down by two points following Desmond Bane’s bucket with 6.1 remaining in the game made the score 104-102 in favor of the road team.
James drove to the basket again and hit a layup with just one-tenth of a second remaining in the game, causing the Crypto.com Arena crowd to erupt.
Ja Morant, who struggled from the field in this one, tried to hit a 21-footer for the win on the ensuing inbounds play, but Anthony Davis blocked it to force overtime.
Austin Reaves continues to shine in the playoffs, as he led the Lakers in points with 23 on 7-of-16 shooting, including two three-pointers. He had four rebounds, six assists and one steal as well.
Davis struggled offensively for the Lakers in this one, but luckily the star big man’s missed shots didn’t cost his team in the end. He was 0-of-5 from the floor with just two points in the first half, and ended up finishing 4-of-13 for 12 points with 11 rebounds.
As for Morant, he went just 8-of-24 from the field with 19 points on the night as well as four rebounds and seven assists. It was Bane who would lead the game in points with 36 on 13-of-29 shooting.
However, Bane hit just three of his 12 three-point attempts, though he was a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
The series will head back to Memphis for a must-win Game 5 for the home team on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
