The Los Angeles Lakers secured a huge win on Sunday as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first game of their playoff series.
The Grizzlies are the second-best team in the West and the game was held in Memphis and yet the Lakers still posted a strong, comfortable win.
In fact, in the closing moments of the game, it felt like the Grizzlies had just given up and that the Lakers were running away with it.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t LeBron James who was dominating the Grizzlies as the fourth quarter went on – it was Austin Reaves.
Speaking on Monday’s episode of Get Up, Brian Windhorst was shocked to see James take a backseat to others on his team.
“I’ve never seen a LeBron James road playoff game where he had almost no impact offensively in the fourth quarter. … This is just remarkable that they could get away with a road win like this.”
—@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/ff2149tNBN
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 17, 2023
Sure enough, James had just three points in the fourth due to this one bucket.
Meanwhile, Reaves was on fire with 14 while Anthony Davis posted 6 of his own.
For fans of the Lakers, the lack of James in the win is great news.
It shows that the team can win even if it’s not solely relying on their biggest star.
Meanwhile, fans of the Grizzlies are nervous because they are now very aware that the Lakers are dangerous from every angle.
They don’t have to only be worried about James or Davis – there are other threats on the court.
Basketball is all about adjustments, so now that the Grizzlies are alerted to what Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and others can do, will they adjust in Game 2?
Even without James, the Lakers came out swinging.
Can the Grizzlies swing back?
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