Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura both eclipsed 20 points, the majority of which came at a crucial time in the Lakers’ Game 1 win over the Grizzlies on Sunday.
MEMPHIS — The Los Angeles Lakers entered the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 1 of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies clinging to a six-point lead.
In the first 11 minutes of the final frame, LeBron James and Anthony Davis attempted just one shot apiece.
And yet L.A. ran away with a 128-112 victory as a bench player and a guy who went undrafted out of college just two years ago took over.
Rui Hachimura scored nine of his 29 points in the fourth, tying Mychal Thompson’s Lakers franchise record for most points by a substitute in a playoff game. Austin Reaves went 5-for-5 in the fourth, including scoring nine straight points late in the quarter, en route to 23 points total.
“It was our supporting cast that won us the game tonight,” said James, who had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
The Lakers needed the extra effort from their roster with things looking dicey at halftime. Davis, who finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 7 blocks and 3 steals to become the first player since Tim Duncan nearly 20 years ago to put up that type of postseason statline, suffered a stinger to his right shoulder and had to exit the game late in the second quarter.
The Lakers trailed by six at the time.
Then Hachimura went 4-for-4 from 3 in six minutes of playing time in the third quarter and L.A. was back in control. The fourth-year forward, acquired in a trade with Washington in late January, said they were all shots he specifically practiced coming into the series, with Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy scouting the gaps in the Grizzlies’ defense that Hachimura could target.
