Butler

Drops

raucous home fans at the FedEx Forum.

But the hosts appeared to be wobbling in the third quarter after the Lakers rallied at the start of the second half to close to within a point of Memphis at 75-74. Yet that was the cue for Morant to lead a devastating 19-2 run to close the third quarter that effectively sealed victory for the Grizzlies, who led 94-76 heading into the fourth.

Morant finished with 31 points and 10 assists from 13of-26 shooting while Desmond Bane led the Memphis scoring with 33 points.

Afterwards Morant said the Grizzlies had been inspired by their loud home crowd.

“This is our home floor, our home crowd and we feed off their energy. This is who we do it for,” Morant said. “Coming out here and protecting home floor is something we take pride in and something we plan to continue to do.”

The Lakers, meanwhile, were left chasing the game after a rare off night from James. The Lakers superstar – the hero of Monday’s epic gamefour win in Los Angeles – finished with just 15 points from 5-of-17 shooting, with just one three-pointer from nine attempts. With James struggling to get going, it was left to Anthony Davis to keep the Lakers in the hunt.