FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

The Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120–114 in a back-to-back rematch, and for the third time this season.

Both teams were down several players, in a stretch where it feels like everyone around the NBA is hurting, but the Lakers keep stacking up important wins, winning for the third time in their last four against not the best, but still competent opposition.

With the Nuggets losing to the Nets without Nikola Jokić, and the Rockets falling to the Mavericks without Alperen Sengun, this win moved the Lakers to 22–11 and up to third place in the West.

And by now it almost goes without saying, when the Lakers win, this was another clutch takeover by Luka Dončić, LeBron James, and their crew, keeping their now perfect 12–0 clutch record intact.

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Today’s notes:

Same script, but fine-tuned

Luka and LeBron taking turns, ending in reversed roles (VIDEO)

Jake LaRavia torches his old team again, making a strong case for starting

Deandre Ayton early touches, better flow, much better effort (VIDEO)

Lakers running out of depth

1-Same script, but fine-tuned

If the ending was predictable, so was unfortunately the beginning. Like many times this season, the Lakers opened the game somewhat complacent, without the proper defensive intensity and, especially, attention to detail, failing to box out the Grizzlies on the glass in the first half. Ten of the Grizzlies’ 16 offensive rebounds, and 11 of their 18 second chance points, came in the first half. Like in the previous game, the Lakers also struggled to keep up with the Grizzlies’ bench, giving up another big run and a deficit that grew as high as 16 in the second quarter.

JJ Redick asked his team if adjustments were needed at the half, and they responded with decisive no, then backed it up with much better play and composure after the break. After watching the same opponent sprint to the same actions for three halves, the Lakers finally adapted to the cadence of the game, stepped up defensively, and slowed the Grizzlies to a much slower pace of 96.0 possessions per 48 minutes, a huge drop-off from 105.5 in the first game. Add to that the fact that after some early sloppiness from Dončić with the ball, when he committed all three of his turnovers in the first seven minutes, he and his teammates cleaned it up. The Lakers finished the game with just 10 turnovers total.

So as the game progressed in the second half, you could see the Lakers catching up and playing the game on their terms, and when that happens, they typically come out on top in the end.

2-Luka and LeBron taking turns, ending in reversed roles (VIDEO)

In a slower, half-court setting, and with Ja Morant out, the Lakers had too much star power at the end. The interesting part of this game was that it was James who took over as the primary creator and orchestrator of the offense in the second half. The Grizzlies again showed two defenders on every Dončić action from the start, and it was the luxury of having another manipulator in James that paid off for the Lakers.

James scored 18 of his 26 points and handed out seven of his 10 assists after the break, making key plays as the operator on the block against smaller defenders, or as a roller out of empty side pick-and-roll actions with Dončić during key clutch possessions.

Dončić and James flipping roles, with James as the primary creator and Dončić as a lower usage secondary attacker, whose usage was only 26 percent in the second half, was an interesting dynamic. Another chapter in the star duo’s chemistry building, and another learning experience they can refer back to later in the season.

It was also a valuable lesson for Dončić, patiently waiting for his turn and playing off James down the stretch, when he made two key three-pointers and a lob pass to Vanderbilt. Plays that turned what felt like a nothing-special night for Dončić into a memorable 36/9/8 performance, shooting 4 of 10 from three.

3-Jake LaRavia torches his old team again, making a strong case for starting

Jake LaRavia topped his already impressive performance from the first game against the Grizzlies with an even better outing last night, finishing with 26 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

After the last game, when LaRavia nailed a clutch three, I wrote that these games are crucial for him to get more reps, build confidence, and become more comfortable in high-stake moments. LaRavia has been one of the better stories of the Lakers season so far, and the only knock on him has been his decision making, especially his hesitation to take the open three. JJ Redick mentioned that the focus for him all season has been 0.5 second decision making and being catch and shoot ready, which becomes especially important in games where opponents force Dončić to give up the ball, even if it means playing four on three basketball. Over the last two games, LaRavia has gotten plenty of reps. He attempted a season-high 10 three-pointers, connecting on four of them, while admitting he still might have passed up a couple.

These two games in expanded roles, minutes, and usage have been invaluable for him in building trust and connection with his playmakers, and in making a strong case for potentially earning a regular starting job going forward.

Iztok Franko
@iztok_franko
Another great game by Jake LaRavia against team that drafted him. Followed up 21 pts,9 rebs on Friday, with 26/5/4 last night vs Grizzlies.

Making a real push for the starting spot. In 12 games a s a starter:

13 points, 6 rebs, 3 assists, 2 steals, 0.5 blocks + constant hustle
2:36 AM · Jan 5, 2026

4-Deandre Ayton early touches, better flow, much better effort (VIDEO)

One of the storylines coming into this game was the lack of Ayton’s touches, his lack of overall impact, and the correlation between the two over a recent stretch of games. Redick and the Lakers acknowledged it and made sure to run plays designed for early Ayton touches at the start of both halves.

The early returns were not inspiring, but after a slow first half, Ayton stepped up in a big way in the second. Despite being credited with only one offensive rebound, his activity was key in keeping several loose rebounds alive and helping the Lakers generate second chances in the third quarter. He then followed that up by getting several key stops down the stretch, two of them against Jaren Jackson Jr., whose downhill isolation drives gave the Lakers big problems in the first matchup.

Ayton ended the game with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Another thing to highlight was Ayton’s passing, which has been the underwhelming part of his game. But last night he surprised with his vision, finding James on two critical possessions down the stretch.

So all in all, a well-timed rebound game from Ayton, and hopefully a motivation for future performances.

5-Lakers running out of depth

This game ended well for the Lakers, but there were several warning signs that will be hard to resolve until Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, who per Redick will not play on the upcoming two-game road trip, and Gabe Vincent return to the rotation.

With those three out, and Smart and LaRavia starting, what was already the lowest scoring bench in the NBA became even thinner. Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Nick Smith Jr., and Dalton Knecht currently form the bench unit, and the drop-off in talent is stark every time the first substitutions happen. Both Smith Jr. and Knecht are liabilities on defense, making it hard to survive those minutes when their shots are not falling.

And while Vanderbilt always brings hustle and energy, this baseball style back-to-back, with teams having additional time to scheme, showed that opponents will redesign their defensive coverages to disregard Vando, essentially forcing the Lakers to play four on five on offense. It is a credit to Dončić and James that the Lakers managed to make it work, even finding Vanderbilt on a couple of cuts, but that will be much harder to sustain against better teams.

HERE FROM https://t.co/psM9lfR6jm ARE CLUTCH TIME STATS:For entire season, Lakers had an offensive rating of 127.9 ( #4), defensive rating of 88.9 ( #1), and net rating of +39.1 points ( #1) for a total of 29.0 minutes of clutch time, which was the second fewest clutch minutes of… pic.twitter.com/BX3zcfrXpu— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 5, 2026

Jake LaRavia in games where he plays 30+ minutes:15.4 PPG6.8 RPG3.1 APGShould he be the permanent starter? pic.twitter.com/aJuKpK2PkZ— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) January 5, 2026

LAKERS ADVANCED TEAM STATS LAST 2 GAMES121.6 Offensive Rating #7115.8 Defensive Rating #18+5.8 Net Rating #10 pic.twitter.com/u9RNhMTyRf— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 5, 2026

Lakers are such a funny team lmao 😂Neutral Point differential with the 4th best record in the NBA, we frauds 😭 pic.twitter.com/QRDhXqkTaf— Lucro 💫 (@PlayoffLucro) January 5, 2026

Lakers are now 3rd seed pic.twitter.com/6vz6zDUlFg— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) January 5, 2026

LEBRON JAMES TONIGHT:26 PTS7 REB10 AST57% FG pic.twitter.com/l5WjVuWOPD— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) January 5, 2026

Scoring. Assisting. Leading. More history for the King 13,786 assists and counting pic.twitter.com/4WqIiI3nzH— LeBron History (@bronhistory) January 5, 2026

immediately following his first game back, after missing the first few weeks of the season due to sciatica, @KingJames said the forced time away made him that much more present & in the moment upon his return. i asked him tonight if that’s carried through into the season for him: pic.twitter.com/S2i5Snt6AO— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) January 5, 2026

"Second half, we started to crack the code a bit."LeBron James (26 PTS, 7 REB, 10 AST, STL) talks with the media after the #LakeShow takes down the Grizzlies, winning 120-114. pic.twitter.com/CawpkWENny— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 5, 2026

The Lakers are now 12-0 in clutch games this season pic.twitter.com/ukWptL6Rqb— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) January 5, 2026

LAKERS COMPLETE THE 16-POINT COMEBACK ‍ pic.twitter.com/kc1xhjlvgA— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) January 5, 2026

LUKA BACK TO BACK 3’S. GAME OVER pic.twitter.com/Np7KHy6RTV— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) January 5, 2026

Final Stats 📊Luka: 36 pts, 9 reb, 8 astLeBron: 26 pts, 7 reb, 10 astJake: 26 pts, 5 reb, 4 astDeandre: 15 pts, 8 reb, 3 blk pic.twitter.com/FCKpDzcIdx— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 5, 2026

I think the lineup should work.

Here's my Grok research on stealing RFA's Walker Kessler, Tari Eason, and Peyton Watson with offers that the Jazz, Rockets, and Nuggets would struggle to match.QUESTION:The Lakers could have $100 million in cap space this summer to re-sign their own free agents and steal free…— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 4, 2026