Lakers vs. Grizzlies score, takeaways: LeBron James, L.A. turn huge first quarter into a 2-1 series lead

Ja Morant returned, and Dillon Brooks was ejected for flagrant-2 foul on LeBron

The Los Angeles Lakers have taken control of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies with a 111-101 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night. That pushes their series advantage to 2-1 and gives them a chance to take a 3-1 lead on Monday, when they play their second home game of the series. It all started with one of the best quarters in NBA history. The Lakers outscored the Grizzlies 35-9 in an explosive first quarter, and the Grizzlies never recovered.

Things got more tense after that. The Grizzlies made the game competitive in the second half led by Ja Morant, but the story of the night was the ejection of Grizzlies agitator Dillon Brooks. Just 17 seconds into the second half, Brooks hit James in the groin and received a flagrant-2 foul. Already shorthanded, the Grizzlies couldn't recover. The Lakers held on, and now the pressure falls on the Grizzlies to respond Monday.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 3:

There's a reason you shouldn't poke bears

"I poke bears," Brooks said after Game 2 in regards to his trash talk towards James. "I don't respect anyone until they come and give me 40." The confidence is admirable, but the wisdom was lacking. There is a long list of NBA players you can get away with trash-talking. Arguably the greatest of all time is not among them. James didn't quite drop 40, but if he is the bear in this scenario, he did plenty to maul Brooks for hubris.

The Lakers played the first quarter clearly motivated by what Brooks said. They outscored the Grizzlies 35-9. James shot 6 of 10 in the first half. Brooks shot 3 of 13 with James frequently defending him. A visibly frustrated Brooks was ejected in the second half after hitting James in the groin. He refused to speak to the media after the game.

Brooks is known for baiting opponents into making mistakes. He wanted James to play hero ball and go for 40 points. But the thought process there was clearly shortsighted. No player is ever going to get into LeBron's head. He's been to the NBA Finals 10 times. He's faced thousands of opponents and seen every trick in the book. If he wasn't going to lose his cool when Lance Stephenson blew in his ear, he wasn't going to let a few media jabs get to him. He and his team came out hot against the Grizzlies, but James knew better than to let Brooks change his game. He played exactly the way that he always does, but benefitted from a motivated group of teammates in the process.

As for Brooks' teammates? They outscored the Lakers by six points once Brooks was kicked out of the game, and they have to be wondering whether their fiery teammate is really worth all of the trouble he's worth.

Ja Morant is healthy

Ja Morant missed Game 2. He made up for lost time in Game 3. He led the game in both points (45) and assists (13) while coming a single rebound short of a triple-double. Between the 8:26 and 1:24 marks of the fourth quarter, he was the only Grizzlies player to score, racking up 22 points in that span. The good news for the Grizzlies is that their best player seems like he'll be good to go for the rest of the series.

But the Lakers shouldn't feel too badly about the way they defended him. Morant made six of his 10 3-point attempts. The Lakers have made the strategic decision to duck under screens when Morant runs a pick-and-roll hoping to bait him into pull-up 3's. Morant made only 29.8% of his looks on such shots this season, so the logic was sound. The Lakers should feel comfortable with the idea that he won't make 60% of his 3's again. He only shot 7 of 16 on his 2-pointers (43.8%), which is far more palatable. So long as they can limit him to fewer than 14 free-throw attempts, the Lakers should feel pretty good about their ability to slow him down. 

An emotional night for the crowd

It's hard to believe, but Saturday night was actually the first sold out home playoff game LeBron James has played as a Laker. his debut season was ruined by injuries. The Lakers won the championship in 2020, but they did it in the Orlando bubble. They reached the playoffs again in 2021, but because of COVID-19 restrictions, the building was only partially filled. And the Lakers missed the playoffs last season following the Russell Westbrook trade.

That made this an emotional night for fans in Los Angeles. It wasn't only the home playoff debut. It was their first proper chance to show James and Anthony Davis the love they earned during the championship run, and boy, did they deliver. The building was rocking even before tipoff, when fans booed Brooks ferociously during warmups and introductions. It would be hard not to attribute at least some of the dominant first quarter to the energy the crowd brought.

As a No. 7 seed, the Lakers likely won't have home-court advantage in any series they play this postseason. That gives their fans a maximum of three games per series to help the team. They made the most of their first on Saturday. If they keep playing like this in their building, the Lakers will only need to win one road game per series to keep advancing throughout the postseason.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:45 am ET · Sam Quinn]

That'll do it

The Grizzlies fought all night, but they just couldn't overcome the 35-9 first-quarter explosion by the Lakers. Los Angeles takes a 2-1 lead with a 111-101 victory.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:43 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Did Ja Morant just tweak his ankle?

Ja Morant is hobbling a bit after that last 3-pointer. It looks like he might have tweaked his ankle on the play. Desmond Bane got called for a technical foul arguing about it, and fortunately, Morant will remain in the game. 

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:40 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Unsuccessful Memphis challenge

The Grizzlies lose their last time out challenging that foul call on Luke Kennard. Now LeBron goes to the line where he will hopefully be able to officially ice this victory.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:38 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Ja Morant will not go away

That's 22 straight points for Ja Morant! The Lakers still lead by 11, but Morant will not let them take this thing easily.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:33 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Will that do it?

Austin Reaves nails the 3-pointer and Taylor Jenkins calls time. With 5:47 and an 18-point lead, this one might finally be over. We'll see if Taylor Jenkins sends his starters back out for the final stretch.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:31 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Ja Morant holding up his end of the bargain

According to Doris Burke on the broadcast, Ja Morant has either scored or assisted on 57 Grizzlies points despite his injury. The supporting cast has underwhelmed, but the best Grizzlies player sure hasn't.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:27 am ET · Sam Quinn]

The Lakers can't put them away

The Lakers are still firmly in control, but with seven minutes left in the game, the Lakers likely hoped they'd be able to pull their starters. Instead, that Ja Morant 3-pointer cut the lead down to 14. It looks like the Lakers will have to play this thing to the end even if they wind up winning by double digits.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:23 am ET · Sam Quinn]

LeBron taking a beating

James has already been hit in the groin, and Jaren Jackson Jr. just hit him in the face on that layup attempt. The sooner he can get off the floor, the better for the Lakers.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:17 am ET · Sam Quinn]

How much longer do the Lakers leave their starters in?

The Lakers now lead 90-68 with 10:52 remaining. At what point is the victory secured? The Lakers would love to get their best players out of there and start the rest process for Game 4 on Monday.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:12 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Lakers still firmly in control after three quarters

The Grizzlies cut the deficit to 13 at on point, but it's 88-68 after three quarters. The Lakers should be able to put this away for good with only a few more strong minutes. 

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:09 am ET · Sam Quinn]

More jawing

John Konchar just fouled Rui Hachimura in transition, and Hachimura was hit again by David Roddy as he slowed down. He and Roddy shared some heated words after that and needed to be separated. Hachimura was called for a technical foul due to his response.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:07 am ET · Sam Quinn]

Anthony Davis taking it to the Defensive Player of the Year

Anthony Davis is trying to prove a point here against Jaren Jackson Jr. The recently-crowned Defensive Player of the Year has taken on the Davis matchup more in the third quarter, and Davis is winning it right now.

[Apr 23, 2023 at 12:03 am ET · Sam Quinn]

A successful challenge

Anthony Davis is called for a foul, but that block looked like it was all ball, and Darvin Ham agreed. He called timeout and challenged the play. It was successful. No foul on Davis or free throw for Jaren Jackson. That would have been the fourth foul on Davis, so a huge decision to take that one off the board.

[Apr 22, 2023 at 11:58 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

Another killer game for Rui Hachimura

Rui Hachimura is shooting 6-for-8 so far in Game 3, and he has a chance to score 20 points off the bench for the third straight game. The Lakers are trust him to serve as a needed secondary rim-protector, and he's doing that job well. He has been everything the Lakers hoped for in this series.

[Apr 22, 2023 at 11:52 pm ET · Sam Quinn]

An enormous five-point swing

LeBron James nearly brought the building down with a thunderous dunk. Instead, the ball rimmed out. The Grizzlies got it back, and Desmond Bane nailed a 3-pointer to cut the lead down to 13. For the first time, this game is legitimately competitive. The Lakers had a chance to put it away early and failed. Now they're going to have to grind with the Grizzlies the rest of the way.