Lakers hold off Grizzlies, snap 4-game skid
Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, left, points as he handles the ball while Memphis Grizzlies’ Matt Barnes, right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, March 22, 2016. AP
LOS ANGELES — Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points, Kobe Bryant added 20 and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 107-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
Bryant scored 12 points in the third quarter, but the superstar sat out the final 4:20. Brandon Bass got eight of his 18 points in the fourth while Los Angeles’ younger players closed out an unlikely victory over the playoff-bound Grizzlies, who had won the clubs’ first three meetings of the season.
The Western Conference-worst Lakers wrapped up an eight-game homestand with three wins, beating contenders Golden State and Memphis.
Tony Allen made all 12 of his shots while scoring 27 points for the Grizzlies, who had won two straight. Zach Randolph and Lance Stephenson added 16 points apiece.
Bryant suited up for the fourth time in Los Angeles’ last 10 games, and he appeared to be in a good mood throughout his final showdown with Vince Carter, Matt Barnes and Allen.
Kobe recently called Allen the toughest defender he faced in his 20-year NBA career, and his long-standing connections to several Grizzlies perhaps explained why he’ll attempt to play back-to-back games with his sore shoulder instead of sitting out this one before Wednesday’s game in Phoenix.
Bryant missed his first five shots and went 1 for 7 in the first half, but quickly heated up in the third quarter with a series of shots that had his adoring fans on their feet.
D’ANGELO DOWN
D’Angelo Russell had 11 points in 22 minutes before sitting out the final 1 1/2 quarters with a bruised left shin. The rookie No. 2 overall pick went down in pain in the first half after a leg-on-leg collision with JaMychal Green, but he played in the third quarter before shutting it down.
NO JUSTICE, NO WORLD PEACE
Metta World Peace was ejected early in the fourth quarter when he wouldn’t stop complaining about the lack of a foul call when Vince Carter tied him up for a jump ball. The former Ron Artest has a monumental history of on-court misbehaviors, but it was his first ejection of the season. The Grizzlies got the chance to choose the Lakers player who had to enter the game to take World Peace’s spot on the jump ball, and they grinningly chose Kobe, who lost the tip.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Longtime Lakers G Jordan Farmer had eight points and five assists in his second game with Memphis, which signed the Los Angeles native and UCLA product to a 10-day contract. … Stephenson scored five points in 1.5 seconds late in the third quarter with two free throws, a quick steal and a three-point play. … Mike Conley missed his 10th straight game with tendinitis, and P.J. Hairston missed his fifth straight game with a strained groin.
Lakers: Rookie F Larry Nance Jr. sat out as part of the team’s strategy to rest his sore knees during back-to-back sets. He is expected to play Wednesday in Phoenix. … Russell is questionable to play in Phoenix, the team said.
UP NEXT
Grizzlies: At Spurs on Friday.
Lakers: At Suns on Wednesday.
