LeBron Returns, AD Puts up 40 and Lakers Crank Up Defense for 116-110 Win over Grizzlies

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Memphis Grizzlies have been a very good team this season, and have been flat-out excellent over the last month or so—one of the best teams in the NBA both offensively and defensively.

So for the Lakers, who have not exactly set the world on fire over their last 11 games, a visit from Memphis to the Crypt represented a major test. And while it wasn't easy—quite frankly, it got a little hairy in the fourth—the Lakers ultimately passed, winning 116-110. This was truly a team effort, one that had to please JJ Redick greatly. Anthony Davis led the way, dominating on both ends to finish with 40 points and 16 rebounds. But Austin Reaves (19 points) provided some punch (a much better effort than in Friday's loss, where Reaves looked very rusty after five games off).

And in his return to the lineup, LeBron finished with 18/8/8.

It wasn't the best James game you'll see from a statistical standpoint, but he was a big part of the defensive energy the Lakers put out, particularly in the first half, that pushed the Lakers to a big early lead they never gave up. Cam Reddish and Max Christie (who stayed in the starting lineup) both did enough offensively to keep Memphis honest, while also elevating the team's defensive intensity.

So on the heels of a good defensive game Friday, have the Lakers found something? It's hard to say. Memphis, as Redick noted in his halftime interview, doesn't run a lot of pick and roll, meaning they didn't test that hyperswitching strategy the Lakers often deploy. James was a catalyst for the upgraded intensity (he plays too many minutes to ignore the defensive side of the ball). Can he bring that, if not every night, most of them? Especially if the Lakers can get by with fewer points from him? How much consistency is it reasonable to expect from James? Can the Lakers get enough from the supporting cast from night to night to allow LeBron to do 15-20% more defensively?

Is Max Christie part of the equation to tie all of this together? As a starter on Sunday, it sure seemed he might be.

These are ultimately the types of questions that will determine the team's upside, and how Rob Pelinka might feel in upgrading the roster before the deadline. What the Lakers did defensively, especially in the first half, is a potential game-changer if anything like that can be done with some consistency. They used activity and effort to hold Memphis to 46 points in the first 24 minutes. That effort and activity translated to good movement on the other end, too.

So was it one night, or are the Lakers maybe, maybe, just maybe turning the corner a bit?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: LeBron James returns, the Lakers crank it up defensively.

SEGMENT 2: A badly needed win over a quality team.

SEGMENT 3: Can the Lakers repeat a winning formula?

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