It’s Friday night in Los Angeles and after a week of “almosts,” the Purple and Gold snapped the Memphis Grizzlies’ 11-game win streak, 122-121.
The Lakers have suffered the absence of Anthony Davis since December 16. They are 9-9 without their big fella. That’s not to say the guys haven’t been showing up without him; everyone’s been staying ready, and the team’s really been performing well without their crucial piece. But at the end of a lot of these matchups, they seem to slow down just before the finish line and allow their opponent to hit the ribbon first.
Not tonight.
The fourth quarter was seconds from closing, and the Lakers were about to lose when Desmond Bane got the ball just before halfcourt. Juan Toscano-Anderson trapped Bane—and distracted him as Dennis Schröder came over his shoulder, pried the ball from Bane’s grasp and drove to the hoop—Dennis got the basket and the and-1. He made both free throws and put his team up by two.
“His instincts defensively, he’s one of our better perimeter defenders,” Head Coach Darvin Ham said of Dennis postgame. “He knows how to make big plays in big moments. He’s not afraid.”
In addition to notching the game ball, Dennis also produced 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals—one crucial steal.
It would’ve boded well to have Davis tonight. Like the Lakers, Memphis has an affinity for the paint. And tonight, they completely owned the Lakers under the rim. The Grizzlies outrebounded L.A. 63-47 and outscored them 64-44 in the paint.
But as they’ve done for a little over a month, the Lake Show stepped up. “We’re a couple men down, but we got it done tonight,” Dennis said of the team win.
Russell Westbrook was impactful on both sides of the ball. He led his team offensively with 29 points, six assists, and five rebounds. And in the final huddle, Russ told Coach Ham “he wanted Ja down the stretch.” Ja Morant led his team with 22 points and eight assists. The Lakers’ defense was incredibly efficient in containing him tonight. He shot 9-for-29 from the field.
“I just know I’m a very good defender and I believe in my abilities to stop anybody,” Westbrook said after the game.
And the man that has been holding it down with consistent 30+ point game performances in AD’s absence, LeBron James, contributed 23 points tonight, had nine rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” LBJ said of the extra reliance on him. “If I’m on the floor I’ve gotta make plays for our team. If I’m in the lineup, I’ve gotta make plays for our team.”
That seems to be the collective energy of the team; next man up, everyone stays ready.
“Competing is not our problem. We compete every night, I’m not worried about that,” LeBron declared.
The team travels to Portland Sunday to compete against the Trail Blazers.
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