Lakers take Game 1 over Grizzlies.
MEMPHIS — The Lakers took Game 1 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday with a 128–112 first-round punch to gain momentum in the series.
Game 1’s win partly came from tremendous Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves performances. Hachimura had a career night, setting a Lakers playoff franchise record with 29 points off the bench. And in Reaves' first playoff appearance, he performed like a playoff vet with his willingness to score 14 straight points in the fourth quarter.
To go with his 29 points, Hachimura finished on 5-for-6 (83%) shooting from three and 11-for-14 (78%) overall, notching six rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes off the bench.
“I want to show what I can do for my country [Japan],” said Hachimura. “It’s a good way to show what I can do here.”
Hachimura’s big night is the most points from a Lakers player off the bench since Magic Johnson, who scored 25 points off the bench for the Lakers in 1996.
Reaves’ big outing came in the second half, where he erupted for 16 points without missing a single bucket. Reaves finished with 23 points on 3-of-5 (60%) shooting from three and 8-for-13 (61%) overall from the floor with four assists, three rebounds, one block, and one steal in 30 minutes.
After hitting bucket after bucket to ice the game for L.A., Reaves was visible, saying, “I’m him,” toward the Lakers bench, confirming that with an ice-cold fourth quarter.
“You dream about being on a stage like this,” said Reaves. “These are the best basketball players in the world; it’s the playoffs, and you know, I got hot late and just having fun.”
With the breakout performances from Reaves and Hachimura, the Lakers didn't need LeBron James and Anthony Davis to have huge games and carry the offense, with the pair combining for 43 points.
Towards the end of the second quarter, Davis injured his right shoulder on a rebound attempt and explained after the game that Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. landed on it. During that moment, you could see Davis mouth, “I can’t move my arm,” as he entered the locker room right after. After doing some tests, Davis was able to return from halftime.
“Had a little stinger where my arm went completely numb,” said Davis. “It was numb. I couldn’t move it.”
Ending the night with a +27 plus/minus, Davis finished with 22 points on 58.8% (10-for-18) shooting from the field and a career playoff high of seven blocks, along with 12 rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 36 minutes.
In 34 minutes of action, LeBron finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals, with a field goal percentage of 50% on 8-for-16.
Grizzlies starting guard Desmond Bane spoke on Hachimura’s outing, saying: “It’s probably the best game of his career. It’s a seven-game series. Let’s see if he can do it again Wednesday.”
Get your popcorn ready for Game 2.
The Lakers will play Game 2 against the Grizzlies on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet and TNT.
