Game: Los Angeles Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Odds: Lakers +4, Grizzlies -4
Total: 222
The Los Angeles Lakers are one victory away from upsetting the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA playoffs thanks to that older, less effective LeBron James. The smack talk from Dillon Brooks has only served to motivate James, 38, to reach new heights. When the Lakers host the Grizzlies in Game 5 tonight, James hopes to help them clinch this Western Conference series.
With a 117-111 overtime victory at home on Monday night, the Lakers took a 3-1 series lead and put second-seeded Memphis in danger of going home. Before James made the game-tying basket with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, the Grizzlies were about to tie the series at 2-2.
James recorded his first 20-20 performance in his 19-year NBA career with 22 points and 20 rebounds. For the seventh-seeded Lakers, he added two blocks and seven assists. James was upset by Brooks’ remarks following Game 2, in which he referred to the four-time MVP as “old” and insisted that his level of play had significantly decreased. James didn’t respond publicly, but his play during the series is giving everyone an answer. Throughout the series, James is averaging 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. His lowest scoring output was 21 points, which came in Game 2.
It will be difficult for Memphis to forget that it had a seven-point lead in Game 4 with 5:13 remaining in regulation and failed to seal the deal in front of its home crowd. The Grizzlies lacked spark in the overtime after being one defensive stop away from tying the series.
According to Bane, who finished with 36 points, the Grizzlies made a defensive mistake that allowed James to tie the score at the end of regulation. Memphis didn’t help on James’ drive to the basket against Xavier Tillman. Interestingly, Bane was one of two defenders that didn’t provide that help.
Dillon Brooks was the other defender that could have provided help on that drive. In the series, Brooks is averaging 11.3 points a game. His shooting has been awful – 33.3 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from behind the arc.
Averaging 11.3 points per game while shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from 3-point range, Brooks—the self-described “poker of bears”—is shooting these numbers in the series. He was dismissed from Game 3 for groin-prodding James. Brooks was ejected from Game 4 for poking James in the groin. Memphis star Ja Morant had 19 points in the Game 4 loss.
The Lakers are now 6-1 SU in their last seven games. They have beaten Memphis in four of the last five meetings and the Lakers have covered in four of those five games. Memphis is 1-4 SU and ATS in its last five games. The Grizzlies are 15-2 SU in their last 17 home games and they had the best home record in the NBA this season.
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