MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Grizzlies dropped Game 1 of their first round series against the Lakers 128-112 and lost Ja Morant to a right-hand injury midway through the fourth quarter after a hard drive to the rim.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was huge in this game. He scored 31 points and grabbed five rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Grizzlies gave up seven straight points to Lakers guard Austin Reaves late in the fourth quarter to seal the loss.
The two sides traded leads early in the first before the Lakers seemed to be taking control. The Lakers took a 30-20 lead with 2:27 left in the first quarter after a banked three point jumper from Troy Brown. The Grizzlies followed that run with a run of their own, scoring seven straight points.
Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks, the main matchup against LeBron James, drew his third foul early in the second quarter, limiting his playing time in the first half.
Desmond Bane capped a 7-0 Grizzlies run that gave them a 49-47 lead with a step-back three. With 1:15 left in the first half Lakers center Anthony Davis suffered what looked like a stinger and went to the locker room for testing.
The Grizzlies took a 65-59 lead into halftime. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way in scoring with 19 points and was dominant down low. Bane finished the half with 12 points and four assists while Morant had 10 points. The two sides were evenly matched in most statistical categories at the half but the Grizzlies shot a significantly better field goal and three point percentage.
The Lakers bounced back in the second half with their own 7-0 run to tie the game at 75 apiece. Morant and Rui Hachimura traded a barrage of jumpers midway through the third to tie the game at 83. Lakers guard Dennis Schroeder set up Davis for an easy jam to give the Lakers the 85-83 lead with 3:25 left in the third.
The Grizzlies were outscored in the third quarter 37-25 and went into the fourth down 96-90.
Luke Kennard came up with a big steal on James early in the fourth that ended with a transition layup from Dillon Brooks to give the Grizz a 99-98 lead with just under 10 minutes to play.
With the Grizzlies down 105-101 and 5:48 left to play in the fourth quarter, Morant drove to the rim hard and came down even harder on Davis and his own injured right hand. The All-Star point guard ran to the locker room after the play.
Jaren Jackson scored three straight baskets after Ja’s injury to keep the Grizzlies in it. The Grizzlies allowed a 7-0 run that gave the Lakers a 120-112 lead with 1:30 left to play. The Lakers went on to win Game One 128-112.
