LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-111 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, taking a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. James scored 22 points, grabbed a career playoff-high 20 rebounds, and added seven assists and two blocked shots. He made the tying layup with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, before scoring four points in overtime. Austin Reaves scored 23 points and Anthony Davis had 12 points, five of which were scored in overtime. The Lakers have won two straight home games and are close to their first playoff series victory outside the Florida bubble since 2012.
Desmond Bane scored 36 points for the Grizzlies, but they will have to win Game 5 on Wednesday and then rally from a 3-1 series deficit to advance. Ja Morant scored 19 points with his injured right hand, but Davis blocked his jumper at the regulation buzzer. Dillon Brooks, who had dismissed James as "old" after Game 2, had 11 points for Memphis.
The Lakers trailed for much of the second half, and Davis struggled with an apparent hip injury that required a heating pad on the bench. However, Davis blocked four shots, and the Lakers excelled whenever he was protecting the rim. The Grizzlies fell behind by an NBA record-tying 26 points after a historically bad first quarter in Game 3, but they improved their start in Game 4.
The game was watched by a celebrity-studded sellout crowd that included Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Edward Norton, Adam Sandler, USC coach Lincoln Riley, and Diddy.
