The shot had barely counted, bouncing three times before settling through the rim, when Austin Reaves let the emotion pour out of him. “I’m him,” bellowed Reaves at no one in particular, though 18,000-plus stunned fans inside FedEx Forum likely felt it in their direction.
The Lakers took Game 1 of its first round series against Memphis and whoa, boy—the Grizzlies could be in some trouble. Anthony Davis was dominant. LeBron James was efficient. Reaves and Rui Hachimura combined for 52 points. Meanwhile, Ja Morant missed the last six minutes after landing hard on his right hand. X-rays were negative but Morant admitted after the game that his status for Game 2 was “in jeopardy.”
“He’s in some pain,” said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. “Tough fall there. More evaluation over the next two days.”
This was never a typical second seed vs. seventh seed matchup. The Grizz hobbled into the postseason. Steven Adams is out. Brandon Clarke, too. Morant, even before this recent injury, was battling a hand issue. The Lakers, meanwhile, were 18–9 after the trade deadline and ended the season winning six of its last seven.
After Game 1, though, it’s fair to wonder if the Lakers should be the favorite.
Brandon Dill/AP
Davis was brilliant. He scored 22 points. He pulled down 12 rebounds. He swatted away seven shots. “He’s our middle linebacker,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham. When Morant drove the paint, Davis was there waiting for him. He finished plus-27, seven points better than anyone else. Late in the second quarter, Davis collided with Jaren Jackson Jr. His arm went limp. The ABC halftime show wondered if the Davis injury curse had struck again. Instead, Davis returned and was the best player on the floor in the second half.
And he had help. Last week, after the Lakers secured a playoff spot with a play-in win over Minnesota, James and Davis addressed the team. James and Davis have extended playoff experience. Entering Game 1, James (266 games) had more postseason experience than the Grizzlies’ entire roster (215). The rest of the Lakers did not. In L.A.’s four days off, Ham focused on offensive execution. “That’s a hell of a team over there,” said Ham. “Elite defensive team. No pass shot, one pass shot is not going to work.”
James and Davis’s message was simple: The playoffs are different. The physicality. The toughness. Players, James said, have to be more “dialed in.” Understand assignments. Don’t make mistakes. Don’t have multiple possessions where you don’t run back on defense.
“No joking, no nothing,” said Reaves. “When you have those two guys, you don’t have any choice but to follow [their] lead. When we lock in, we have a really good chance regardless.”
In his playoff debut, Reaves was brilliant. He scored 23 points. He made eight of his 13 shots. He connected on three of his five threes. In the fourth quarter, James scored three points. Reaves led the Lakers with 14. “We found something that was going,” James said. “It’s an old saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Reaves, James said, is someone he has held in high regard since Reaves was signed in 2021. He knew “from the first practice” that Reaves wasn’t going to be a two-way contract player for long. He credited former coach Frank Vogel for giving Reaves the room to play through his mistakes. “I’ve been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players,” said James. “I know the type of players that fit with my game. I knew Austin would be that.”
Hachimura, too. Hachimura scored 29 points in 30 minutes on Sunday. The transition to the Lakers has been bumpy for Hachimura. The roster shakeup and L.A.’s injury issues, said Hachimura, made it “hard to get into a rhythm.” Ham encouraged him to stay aggressive. To bring energy. James stayed in his ear with positive encouragement. “He’s asked me multiple times, ‘what can I do to help the team win,’” James said. “His presence alone, his size, his athleticism, it brings another dynamic.”
A winning one. The Lakers seized home court advantage entering Game 2 and the Grizzlies are uncertain if its star will be healthy enough to play in it. This series was always going to be a difficult one for the favorite. If they can even be considered the favorite anymore.
