Not just Doncic and LeBron: Lakers find answers beyond their stars

The Los Angeles Lakers stopped the bleeding at home, snapping a slide that had seen them lose four of their previous five games, with a 128-121 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena. Luka Doncic and LeBron James led the way, but this one was about more than just star power.

A much-needed boost to start the year

It was a strong way to open the new year for the Lakers, who held serve on their home floor in the first of two consecutive matchups against Memphis. The victory was badly needed. The only recent bright spot had been a win over regional rivals Sacramento, and the losses had begun to fuel familiar chatter about the head coach, team chemistry, and whether this roster really fits together.

Those narratives can wait. With the win, the Lakers moved to 21 victories against 11 losses. The math still works in their favor.

A tight game decided by a late push

The final score reflected how competitive the game was. Memphis stayed close throughout, with Spanish forward Santi Aldama providing one of the Grizzlies’ most consistent answers. Aldama finished with 15 points in 30 minutes and helped keep the visitors within striking distance in front of a New Year’s crowd that was fully engaged from start to finish.

Los Angeles ultimately pulled away with a decisive run, but it was never comfortable.

Winning under pressure, short-handed

This was the kind of game the Lakers escaped with the sense that they were playing with their backs against the wall. Those wins matter later, especially in the playoffs, assuming the season does not unravel before then.

The challenge was made harder by a thin rotation. Austin Reaves has been sidelined since Christmas, and he has been joined on the injury list by Gabe Vincent on the perimeter and Rui Hachimura in the frontcourt. With limited options, the Lakers shuffled lineups and adjusted on the fly. With Doncic and LeBron contributing across the board, the plan worked.

Stars deliver, flaws and all

Both stars topped 30 points. Doncic scored 34 and added eight assists. James finished with 31 points and nine rebounds. They also accounted for 10 of the team’s 20 turnovers, a reminder of the risks that come with such heavy usage, but the positives outweighed the mistakes.

It marked the third time they have both scored at least 30 in the same game, with the previous two instances coming in March 2025.

Memphis sells out, others make them pay

The Grizzlies committed to stopping the Doncic-James duo, even as it became clear both were having strong nights. That focus opened space for others. Jaxson Hayes found chances inside, if only sporadically, and the real beneficiaries were starters Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.

With Memphis repeatedly sending double teams at Doncic, LaRavia moved freely on the offensive end and took full advantage. It is an approach the Grizzlies may rethink before the rematch in two days.

Fourth-quarter execution seals Lakers win

The game was tied 96-96 entering the fourth quarter. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, an NBA champion with the Lakers in 2020, had already scored 18 of his 20 points, matching the combined output of the entire Lakers bench at that stage.

Head coach JJ Redick managed the minutes carefully, keeping the Lakers afloat during a brief stretch without Doncic. When it was time to close, Los Angeles delivered. A 12-2 run swung the game decisively.

After Doncic returned, Memphis again trapped the ball, leaving shooters open. Vanderbilt knocked down a key 3-pointer, and LaRavia capped his strong night with another from deep during the run. James punctuated it with a layup in a set offense that brought the crowd to its feet. Smart answered with a late 3 for Memphis, but the damage was done.

The teams will see each other again in 48 hours. For now, the Lakers finally have something positive to build on.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

23 LeBron James
12 Jake LaRavia
5 Deandre Ayton
77 Luka Dončić
36 Marcus Smart
11 Jaxson Hayes
9 Bronny James Jr.
14 Maxi Kleber
4 Dalton Knecht
30 Chris Mañon
3 Nick Smith Jr.
17 Drew Timme
2 Jarred Vanderbilt

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
23 LeBron James	36	31	9	0	9	6	4	0	0	6/6	11/13	1/5	0	3	0
12 Jake LaRavia	37	21	9	4	5	2	1	2	1	2/3	5/6	3/6	0	5	0
5 Deandre Ayton	24	4	6	1	5	0	1	1	0	0/0	2/4	0/0	0	3	0
77 Luka Dončić	37	34	6	0	6	8	6	2	0	17/20	7/11	1/7	0	3	0
36 Marcus Smart	34	13	8	1	7	7	4	1	1	0/0	2/3	3/6	0	3	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	23	12	2	0	2	0	0	2	1	2/2	5/6	0/0	0	3	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
14 Maxi Kleber	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	10	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/2	0	0	0
30 Chris Mañon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
3 Nick Smith Jr.	16	8	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	2/3	0	1	0
17 Drew Timme	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	20	5	2	0	2	1	3	1	1	0/0	1/1	1/3	0	0	0

Memphis Grizzlies

Stats

8 Jaren Jackson Jr.
0 Jaylen Wells
35 Christian Koloko
23 Cedric Coward
12 Ja Morant
7 Santi Aldama
3 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
45 GG Jackson II
31 Jock Landale
24 Cam Spencer
18 Olivier-Maxence Prosper
10 Javon Small

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
8 Jaren Jackson Jr.	30	25	1	0	1	2	2	1	0	1/5	12/12	0/3	0	5	0
0 Jaylen Wells	28	6	1	0	1	2	0	1	0	0/0	0/3	2/8	0	3	0
35 Christian Koloko	21	3	2	2	0	0	2	1	1	1/2	1/3	0/0	0	2	0
23 Cedric Coward	23	5	7	1	6	5	2	1	1	1/1	2/7	0/3	0	1	0
12 Ja Morant	31	16	3	0	3	11	3	2	0	2/3	7/15	0/3	0	1	0
7 Santi Aldama	29	15	7	1	6	3	0	1	0	2/2	2/3	3/9	0	0	0
3 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	22	20	5	0	5	2	1	2	0	4/4	2/4	4/6	0	4	0
45 GG Jackson II	15	12	1	0	1	2	2	1	0	1/2	1/1	3/6	0	1	0
31 Jock Landale	20	14	5	4	1	0	1	0	0	3/4	4/5	1/2	0	3	0
24 Cam Spencer	16	5	2	0	2	5	2	0	0	0/0	1/1	1/2	0	0	0
18 Olivier-Maxence Prosper	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Javon Small	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0