Ja Morant took off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night in the NBA. The 22-year-old point guard dropped 41 points for the victory of his team over the Lakers, 104-99. Morant went for 13-27 from the field which is not that impressive, but his 6-7 performance from beyond the arc came in decisive in the end.
LeBron James tried to lead the Lakers towards a second win in a row, but came up short. He made a monstrous double-double, finishing off with 37 points and 13 rebounds. James sank eight 3-pointers, thus equaling his career-high until that moment. He has also achieved something he hasn't done so far. The "King" scored 30+ points in six consecutive games in the NBA, while keeping at least 50% FG, for the first time in his 19-year long career.
Russell Westbrook added another triple-double for the statistics. He dropped 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and gave 12 assists. His in-game performance, however, was far from dominating as he drew 5 fouls and lost the ball 5 times. That's the biggest issue in front of the Lakers and Frank Vogel will need to find a solution. They tend to make plenty of turnovers during a single game as LeBron James also finished off with 5 lost possessions against the Memphis Grizzlies.
In their last game for 2021, the Memphis Grizzlies will host the San Antonio Spurs. The Los Angeles Lakers might have a tougher task, taking on the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena.
Surprisingly, the Grizzlies are ahead of the team from California at the moment. They occupy 4th place in the West, holding a 22-14 record. On top of that, Memphis was without their superstar, Ja Morant, for the most part of the season so far which further suggests their collective strength and far-fetched progress.
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 7th in the standings in the Western Conference. They have been in a bad form lately, losing 6 out of their last 7 games in the NBA. The Lakers desperately need Anthony Davis to make his return and lead the team in defense.
