By ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 34 points — half on free throws — and LeBron James added 31 as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies, 128-121, on Friday night, Jan. 2, to open a two-game set.
The teams will meet again Sunday in Los Angeles.
Doncic had eight assists and six rebounds. James had nine rebounds and six assists. The superstars dominated the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 12-2 run that put it out of reach. Doncic scored four points and assisted on two 3-pointers while James closed out the spurt with a basket.
The Grizzlies were missing six players, including Zach Edey. They had six players in double figures.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points to lead the Grizzlies, who have dropped four of six and fell two games under .500 on the road. Former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 20 points. Ja Morant had 16 points and 11 assists coming off his 40-point game in an overtime loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Jake Laravia had 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds for the Lakers.
The Lakers blew a 15-point lead in the second quarter after the Grizzlies ran off 18 straight points to take a three-point lead, their first of the game. Caldwell-Pope hit two of the Grizzlies’ four 3-pointers in the spurt with Jock Landale adding seven points.
Caldwell-Pope’s back-to-back 3-pointers forced a 96-all tie going into the fourth.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and seven assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the short-handed Golden State Warriors for a 131-94 win.
Stephen Curry sat out because of a left ankle sprain and backcourt mate Jimmy Butler became ill earlier in the day. Draymond Green rested, while Jonathan Kuminga missed the game with back soreness.
That left Steve Kerr’s starting lineup as Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Will Richard, Gui Santos and Quinten Post.
Kerr was optimistic Curry would play Saturday against the Jazz.
Gilgeous-Alexander shot 10 for 20 with three 3-pointers and converted all seven of his free throws for his seventh game in the last nine with 30 or more points — and now three straight. He had 38 points on 13-for-21 shooting with five 3-pointers in the last matchup against the Warriors.
Chet Holmgren contributed 15 points and a season-best 15 rebounds — two off his career high — as Oklahoma City (30-5) won a fourth straight following its first two-game skid of the season.
Richard had 13 points and five rebounds, Al Horford and Moody also scored 13 while Pat Spencer dished out 11 assists against the defending champion Thunder, who had lost their previous two road games but also won 124-112 at Golden State exactly a month earlier on Dec. 2.
Richard’s 3-pointer with 7:19 left in the second quarter got Golden State within 38-36 before Oklahoma City answered with a 19-0 run to go ahead 64-45 at halftime.
The Warriors had won two straight, five of six and three in a row at home, where they are in a stretch with 10 of 11 at Chase Center.
