There is just no stopping Memphis right now. The Grizzlies extended their winning streak to a franchise-record nine games with a thrilling 127-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, January 9. The Grizzlies used a balanced attack to down the red-hot Lakers, with six Memphis players scoring in double digits.
Bane, Jackson Jr. help Grizzlies stretch winning run
Desmond Bane led all Grizzlies scorers with 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the field. He was particularly deadly from beyond the arc, making five of his eight 3-point attempts. Bane had a brilliant all-around performance as he also compiled four rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 26 minutes of action.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was a beast inside the shaded area, posting a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He showed some tremendous play on the defensive end, recording one steal and six blocked shots. Ja Morant and Kyle Anderson were the other starters to score double figures for Memphis, racking up 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Morant filled the stat sheet against the Lakers, recording seven assists, five rebounds, one steal, and one block. Anderson also provided the same impact for the Grizzlies, nabbing eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Bane, Morant, Jackson Jr., and Anderson all stepped up big time in the absence of Dillon Brooks, who missed the game against the Lakers because of a sprained ankle. He suffered the injury during Memphis' win over the Los Angeles Clippers after he landed awkwardly on Brandon Boston Jr.'s foot. Brooks rolled his ankle and was immediately seen grimacing in pain.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Brooks will be sidelined for at least 3-5 weeks, and the veteran forward could be out until after the All-Star break, set to take place in mid-February. Fans in attendance knew something was wrong quickly as Brooks could not put any weight on his leg once he got up.
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Lakers struggle as LeBron gets little help
The Grizzlies have already shown, however, that they are a resilient bunch, posting a winning record this season while Morant was out because of knee and COVID-19 issues. Not even LeBron James can stop the surging Grizzlies, who improved their record to 28-14. They have fared extremely well on the road, winning 14 of their 20 away games this season, including 12 of their last 13.
It is back to the drawing board for the Lakers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. James continued posting monster numbers for the Lake Show, racking up 35 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the loss to the Grizzlies.
James cannot do it alone, though, and he needs the Lakers' other stars to pick up the slack, particularly Russell Westbrook. He scored just 6 points on a woeful 2 of 12 shooting from the floor in the loss to Memphis.
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