The Memphis Grizzlies saw off a Los Angeles Lakers fightback before a late-game explosion sealed a 116-99 win to keep their playoff dream alive, though the Lakers still lead the first-round series 3-1.
The second-seed Grizzlies led by as many as 17 points late in the first half, before the seventh-seed Lakers pulled back the deficit to just one point after a hot start to the third term.
Then Memphis stormed back with a stunning 26-2 run at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, with the lead stretching to 25 points.
The Lakers will now hope to seal the series at the second time of asking when they return to home court for Game 6.
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Charles Barkley said on NBA on TNT at halftime: “If Memphis lose this game, they lost it in the last five minutes of this half… I thought the coach of Memphis made a really big mistake. He got Anthony Davis going. He was playing Dillon Brooks on AD trying to get Jaren Jackson not get in foul trouble. It forced the Lakers to go to AD every single time.
“They poked the bear, and the bear is alive and well!”
“He’s on tonight. He’s ready offensively and defensively. That was a mistake.”
His strong start took the pressure off LeBron James, who had just six points at halftime, having missed all four of his three-point attempts.
Desmond Bane led the game with 21 points for Memphis including three triples at the break – already just behind his average of 21.5 points per game this season.
The Lakers quickly cut the lead to one point early in the third quarter after a 8-0 run scored solely by D’Angelo Russell.
Memphis hit back before James finally got going, scoring nine-straight Lakers’ points including his first triple of the night.
That reduced the deficit back to one point at 75-74 with 4:36 remaining.
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Then Memphis exploded in a 19-2 run to finish the quarter, draining a flurry of three-pointers to lead by 18 points by the final break.
They scored the first seven points of the final period to lead by 25, as James missed back-to-back triples – symptomatic of the Lakers’ offensive struggles down the stretch.
At one point, the Grizzlies had scored on 15 of 16 consecutive possessions as they blew away the Lakers defence.
The Lakers remarkably opted to keep their biggest stars on the court in the final minutes in hope of sealing the series, and the rollercoaster of momentum continued as Memphis suddenly lost their shooting form.
Luke Kennard went to the sheds with a shoulder injury, returning to sit on the bench heavily strapped with an ice pack. The Lakers went on a 12-0 run and reduced the deficit to 12 as the Grizzlies went scoreless for four minutes and 55 seconds.
But as the clock ticked under two minutes, Memphis kept the lead at 112-96 and the Lakers finally sent Davis to the bench.
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