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Lakers take another crack at closing out Grizzlies in Game 6

April 27, 2023

OK, let’s try this again.

The Lakers need a victory in Game 6 on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena to eliminate the Memphis Grizzlies from their first-round playoff series. They’re roughly in the same position they were in going into Game 5 on Wednesday in Memphis, and you might remember how that turned out.

Poorly.

So, after five games, where do things stand?

The Lakers lead the series 3-2 and can dispatch the Grizzlies with one more victory and advance to face either the Golden State Warriors or the Sacramento Kings in the second round next week. The Warriors also hold a 3-2 lead going into their Game 6 on Friday.

The Grizzlies seized back the momentum in the series with a 116-99 victory in Game 5 at FedEx Forum after the Lakers had taken control with victories in Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles. Now, is the pressure on the Lakers to close out the Grizzlies? Or is it on the Grizzlies to force a Game 7 on Sunday?

“There’s no pressure,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “It’s just basketball.”

Said Lakers center Anthony Davis when asked the same question: “I think the pressure is on both teams. Obviously, we’re looking not to come back here for a Game 7. In Game 7, anything can happen. Who knows? We’re still in control right now and we’ve got to take care of business on Friday.”

In fact, the Lakers have been in a pressure cooker for months, rallying from a 2-10 start to the season to a play-in game victory that gave them a 10-2 mark going into their first-round series against the Grizzlies. The Lakers advanced as the seventh-seeded team against the second-seeded Grizzlies.

The Lakers haven’t lost two in a row since March and haven’t dropped three consecutive since February. Their third straight loss coincided with the Feb. 9 trade deadline, when their roster makeover was complete and they began a charge to the playoffs that has them where they are presently.

Close-out games are the toughest of them all, especially on an opponent’s home floor. The Lakers acknowledged the difficulty of eliminating a team as young, talented and spirited as the Grizzlies (the best home team in the NBA this season), who turned a close game into a rout in a matter of minutes in the third quarter of Game 5.

The Grizzlies exposed some of the Lakers’ glaring weaknesses, especially their inability to contain Memphis’ guards Desmond Bane, who had 33 points Wednesday, and Ja Morant, who had 31. The game turned in the Grizzlies’ direction when they scored on 15 of 16 possessions during a 26-2 run.

“Those guys were spectacular tonight,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said after Game 5. “We’re going to need even more and better from them in Game 6.”

Bane promised the Grizzlies would beat the Lakers in Game 6 and return Sunday for Game 7.

“I’ll say it again, we’re going to be back for a Game 7 in front of the best fans in the NBA,” he said.

Davis scored a Lakers-leading 31 points on 14-for-23 shooting and tied his career high for rebounds in a playoff game with 19 in Game 5. LeBron James was “(expletive),” in his words, after scoring only 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting, including a 1-for-9 showing from 3-point range.

James, who is 6 for 36 from behind the arc in the series, also had a team-high five turnovers.

“We got to make shots,” Davis said of winning Game 6 and avoiding Game 7. “I think a lot of the guys struggled tonight shooting the basketball. But … we’re going back home. Guys are going to make shots. LeBron will play better. After Game 2, when I played like crap, I had my head down and he was telling me to keep my head up. And I kind of just relayed that same message to him: ‘You have the most points scored ever, you’re the best basketball player to ever touch the court.’

“So, it’s fine. He’ll be fine. He’ll adjust. He’ll get better. Our team will get better and Friday is another opportunity to close the series.”

INJURY UPDATE

Davis said his achy hip was “fine” and gave him no trouble during Game 5.

“Just trying to get treatment around the clock and to make sure that I’m able to go,” he said. “I would play regardless, but where it’s feeling good and where I’m not in so much pain, going out there and limping. So, I’m doing everything I can to make sure I’m able to play and be on the floor to help the team.”