NBA Playoffs 2023: LeBron James leads Lakers past Grizzlies in Game 4
LeBron James as at his playoff best in Lakers' win vs Grizzlies.
In OT, the Lakers and LeBron were unstoppable as they outscored Memphis 13-7 to win the game. For the Lakers, LeBron scored a double-double - his first 20-20 in his 1,691 career games, as he dropped 22 points and caught 20 rebounds.



Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James brushed aside Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and Memphis Grizzlies as they won Game 4 117-111 in overtime to take a 3-1 lead in the 2023 NBA Playoffs Round 1 series.


Notably, Morant had scored 45 points in the last game against the Lakers, albeit in a loss. Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks, on the other hand, was ejected in Game 3 for hitting LeBron James in the groin after calling him 'old' post Game 2.

In Game 4 though, LeBron schooled the Grizzlies as he scored clutch points in overtime to take the Lakers on the brink of the next round of NBA Playoffs.

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The game started with Lakers coming out with an attitude to win, outscoring Grizzlies 29-23 in the first quarter. The Grizzlies came roaring back in the second quarter as thy outscored the Showtime Lakers 29-25. Los Angeles, however, still had a lead of one point at the half-time though.

Come second half, Memphis started well and managed 31 points in the third quarter against the Lakers' 27. Now, with the Grizzlies with their nose in the front, the Lakers hit back.

Los Angeles did everything in their power to erase the two-point deficit and managed 23 points against the Grizzlies' 21, taking the game into the OT. And it was none other than 'old' LeBron James who made a pivotal shot for the Lakers to send the game into the overtime.

In OT, the Lakers and LeBron were unstoppable as they outscored Memphis 13-7 to win the game. For the Lakers, LeBron scored a double-double - his first 20-20 in his 1,691 career games, as he dropped 22 points and caught 20 rebounds. Apart from him, Austin Reaves scored 23 points while Anthony Davis also scored a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Grizzlies, Desmond Bane scored 36 points while Ja Morant could manage only 19 as Memphis lost the game and now are on the brink of getting out of the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

Lakers win Game 4 in overtime to put Grizzlies on brink of playoff elimination
Lakers forward LeBron James and Grizzlies forward Xavier Tillman Sr. battle for a loose ball in overtime.

LeBron James stood in and let Ja Morant crash into him. He skied for rebounds. He scanned the defense. But the bucket — the one the Lakers had to have, the hoop that could help write his legacy as a Laker in a full building — escaped him for 48 minutes.

Well, at least it did for 47 minutes 59.2 seconds.

No matter the defensive stops, hustle plays, charges or rebounds, everything James did wasn’t enough to get them a win.


But there was still time. And just like this Lakers season, which seemed dead in December, the Lakers kept going.

With 0.8 seconds left in regulation, James hit a high-arching bank shot to force overtime, and with extra minutes to make the previous four quarters right, James and Anthony Davis took over, scoring the Lakers’ first nine points in a 117-111 overtime victory over the Grizzlies.


James punctuated things with a driving score to seal it in overtime, howling and flexing at the crowd with the win about to be in his grasp.

The Lakers now travel to Memphis, where they will have a chance to end the series with a victory in Game 5 on Wednesday.

James finished with 22 points and 20 rebounds, a career high in any game, regular season or playoffs. It’s the first postseason 20/20 game by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal did it in the 2004 NBA Finals.


D’Angelo Russell provided one of those stretches, hitting three three-pointers in short order in the fourth to energize the nervous crowd. Austin Reaves had it at moments, as did Jarred Vanderbilt, Dennis Schroder and Troy Brown Jr.

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Reaves led the Lakers with 23 points as Davis could scratch together only 12.

But when the Lakers needed it, with a chance to take the lead in the final seconds with a 3-1 lead on the line, James and Davis couldn’t find the big play.

Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates his three-pointer against the Grizzlies by pointing to the ice in his veins.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves celebrates his three-pointer against the Grizzlies in the second quarter of Game 4 on Monday
James did find a cutting Rui Hachimura, one of the stars of the first three games, with 10.8 seconds left, but Jaren Jackson Jr. quickly erased the dunk at the rim, with the Grizzlies scoring in transition.
But the clock hadn’t expired and finally, with 0.8 seconds left, James got the hoop.

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