LeBron James, Lakers work OT to beat Grizzlies, take 3-1 series lead

On Monday night, the Crypto.com Arena court in Los Angeles was packed with action and tension as the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies faced each other in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. With both teams giving their all, bodies were flying around the court at breakneck speed, and every possession was fiercely contested as if it could be the last one of the season.

The game was so close that the customary 48 minutes were not enough to decide the winner. With 0.8 seconds left in regulation time, LeBron James sent the game into overtime with a driving layup after the Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane had put his team ahead with a layup with 6.7 seconds remaining.

LeBron James
LeBron James celebrates

In overtime, James once again took control, scoring a driving layup that sealed the deal and propelled the Lakers to a hard-earned 117-111 victory. His basket sent the sellout crowd of 18,997 into a frenzy. James finished with a team-leading 22 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocked shots, becoming the first Laker with a 20-point, 20-rebound game in the playoffs since Shaquille O’Neal in 2004.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at FedEx Forum in Memphis, and Game 6, if necessary, will be on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

James’s will to win was evident in his post-game comments when he said, “You just dig deep and understand that you’ll be able to sleep at some point – just not right now. This is not the time to rest or forget about an assignment. You’ll have more than enough time after the game and the next day to rest. So, I just try to dig deep.”

Although James’s performance was undoubtedly a standout, the Lakers’ victory was a team effort. Austin Reaves scored a team-leading 23 points, while Jarred Vanderbilt scored 10 of his 15 points in the first quarter. Anthony Davis had 12 points (five in OT), Dennis Schroder added 12 points and relentless defensive pressure on Ja Morant in a reserve role, and D’Angelo Russell’s three 3-pointers on three consecutive trips sent the Lakers into an all-too-brief 99-97 lead.

Bane led the Grizzlies with 36 points on 13-for-29 shooting, while Morant scored 19 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 14 points and 14 rebounds but was largely neutralized by Davis and his Lakers teammates when the game got tight late.

In the end, it was James who took over down the stretch, getting the Lakers a bucket to send the game into overtime and then delivering a driving layup that sealed the victory. The sellout crowd erupted into cheers, and James screamed and flexed, clearly overjoyed at the team’s hard-fought victory.

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Mr. Azhar ul Haq Wahid - Editor Mr. Azhar ul Haq Wahid joins "To The Sports News" as an Editor, bringing a decade of comprehensive journalistic experience to our team. A respected Pakistani journalist, he has dedicated his career to covering a wide array of global issues across the world, demonstrating a deep understanding of complex subjects and a commitment to detailed reporting. Mr. Wahid has a background working with prominent print and electronic media organizations, including Channel Five TV, the newspaper "Khabrain," The Nation/Nawa-i-Waqt, NNI, Daily Sama, City 42, Star Asia, Waqt News, Daily The Business, and Daily The Khabrain. His work has covered areas such as Environment, Health, and Sports. He is also a member of the Lahore Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), highlighting his dedication to journalistic standards and diverse reporting. His academic background includes a BS Honors degree in Sociology and an MPhil from Punjab University, alongside a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sargodha. Furthermore, Mr. Wahid is a Ph.D. candidate in Journalism at Complutense University of Madrid, and has contributed to research on topics including the relationship of sports participation with achievement, motivation, and innovation traits among university students, and the effects of parental involvement on student participation in sports. With his extensive experience in covering diverse topics and his keen analytical skills, Mr. Azhar ul Haq Wahid is poised to lead our sports news coverage with depth, accuracy, and insightful perspectives, ensuring our readers receive top-tier journalistic content.

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