LeBron James had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight fans, and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away late to defeat the Memphis Grizzles 108-94 host Sunday.
Anthony Davis had 17 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, Montrezl Harrell added 16 points and nine boards and Wesley Matthews scored 14 points on a 5-of-7 shooting, including a 4-of-6 3- pointers for the Lakers, who won their third place in a row. Dennis Schroder added 11 points.
Kyle Anderson scored 18 points and Jonas Valanciunas won in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies. Tyus Jones also got 14, while Desmond Bane had 13.
Schroder’s bucket with 4:54 left gave the Lakers 95-85. A 3-pointer by Bane Memphis drew within five with 4:07 left but it didn’t get any closer. Los Angeles outscored Memphis 31-19 in the quarter.
Initially, a 17-0 rise with the Grizzlies allowed them to eliminate a nine-point deficit and take a 36-25 advantage after a quarter.
In the second, the Lakers gathered. They closed the half on a 20-9 run for a 56-54 edge at the break. Los Angeles outscored Memphis 31-18 in the second quarter.
Neither of the four was successful in the third quarter. Two free throws by Harrell gave the Lakers a 75-73 lead with 51.6 seconds left before a Gorgui Dieng jersey added the score with 30 seconds left in the third. Harrell Floater put Los Angeles up 77-75 going into the fourth quarter.
Lakers center Marc Gasol played against the Grizzlies in Memphis for the first time since he was traded two seasons ago to the Toronto Raptors. Gasol, who received four strips for a cut above his eye after a crash with Brooks, finished with seven points and six rebounds.
Lakers Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) guard lost the tournament. Kyle Kuzma started in his place, scoring nine of his 11 points in the first half.
The Grizzlies played again without Ja Morant, who is injured by an ankle.
–Field Media Level