The Lakers stun the Grizzlies and the Warriors defeat the Cavaliers without their stars

Posted in: 21/01/2023 – 10:44

The Lakers ended a series of 11 consecutive victories for the Grizzlies, as Russell Westbrook emerged as the best scorer for the winning team with 29 points after entering from the bench, while star LeBron James added 23 points.

And while Memphis was ahead 120-119 with 13 seconds left in the game, Schroeder succeeded in stealing the ball from Desmond Payne and quickly launching a counterattack towards the basket to score and get an additional free throw, and turn the tables on his opponent.

The Grizzlies tried to snatch the victory in the last second, but Ja Morant’s attempt did not succeed, before Brandon Clark missed one of the two free throws to secure the Lakers victory.

The victory is considered important, technically and morally, for the Lakers, who suffer from a lack of stability this season, after a series of injuries, the latest of which was the star of the pivot, Anthony Davis.

Morant finished with 22 points, and Teus Jones and John Conchar added 20 each.

On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions, achieved a remarkable victory at the expense of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a score of 120-114.

The victory came as a surprise, given that the Warriors missed the quadruple Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Canadian Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green one day after the painful loss against the Celtics after extra time in Boston 121-118.

However, the Warriors shone by scoring 23 hat-tricks, and Jordan Paul scored 32 points on an individual level, adding 22 to Ty Jerome.

Darius Garland scored 21 points for Cleveland, who also missed top scorer Donovan Mitchell due to a thigh injury.

In Denver, Serbian Nikola Jokic missed due to injury, but his colleague Jamal Murray excelled with 17 points, 14 assists and ten rebounds, achieving the first triple-double in his career and leading the Nuggets to victory over the Pacers 134-111.

In Dallas, Slovenian Luka Doncic, nominated for the MVP award this season, scored 34 points, with 12 rebounds and seven assists, and contributed to the big Dallas Mavericks victory over the Miami Heat 115-90.

Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving scored 48 points to lead his team to a 117-106 victory over the Utah Jazz.

© 2023 AFP