Los Angeles Lakers Top Memphis Grizzlies After Record-Setting 1st Quarter

It was a fun night for the home crowd at Crypto.com Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers cruised past the Memphis Grizzlies 111-101 thanks to a historically dominant first quarter. The Lakers jumped out to a record-setting 35-9 lead, tied for the largest in the first quarter in NBA playoff history, and never looked back.

The Lakers lead the Grizzlies by 26 at the end of the first quarter 😳

That's tied for the largest first quarter lead in NBA playoff History 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ydjtFYp5v1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 23, 2023

It was a disastrous first period for the Grizzlies. They hit on only three of their 25 field goal attempts, committed six turnovers, and piled up five personal fouls. For their part, the Lakers connected on an efficient 14 of their 27 field goal attempts and kept their turnovers and fouls to three a piece.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant overcame the ugly start to eventually post an eye-popping line in his return to action: after missing Game 2 with a hand injury, the two-time All-Star piled up 45 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists while desperately attempting to mount a comeback. At one point in the fourth quarter, he had scored 22 straight points for the Grizzlies.

Unfortunately, the Lakers were simply too much to overcome. Anthony Davis led the team with 31 points and 17 rebounds, LeBron James pitched in 25 points, and Rui Hachimura played yet another highly efficient game, hitting six of his 10 field goal attempts and compiling 16 points. For the postseason, the 25-year-old has averaged 21.7 points per game with a staggering .804 true shooting percentage. He has been all the Lakers could have hoped for and more since acquiring him mid-season.

With the win, the Lakers take a 2-1 lead in the series. They'll host the Grizzlies for Game 4 on Monday at 10:00 PM ET.