NBA: LeBron James saves wild Los Angeles Lakers win in overtime

The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a wild comeback win. In doing so, they first catch up from a large deficit, give away what is actually a comfortable lead and only make everything clear in overtime. LeBron James shines again, Russell Westbrook gets gabched. Meanwhile, Ja Morant demolishes the Magic, with Phoenix, Miami and Milwaukee enjoying dominant victories.

Orlando Magic (12-42) – Memphis Grizzlies (37-18) 115:135 (BOXSCORE)

• The fifth Grizzlies success from six games degenerated once again to the Ja Morant show! The point guard made short work of the Magic with 33 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and plenty of spectacle. Either Morant demolished with Monster-Dunks the Ring or he led wild behind-the-back passes alley-oops from teammates.
• That scene gave a 31-point lead, the highest of the game, in a fast break midway through the third quarter. The game was actually over before that. Already in the first quarter, the guests shot up a comfortable lead with a 14-0 run, which grew to 25 points by the half-time break. Morant had already scored 22 of his 33 points.
• “Yes was phenomenal today,” said his head coach Taylor Jenkins. His opposite number Jamahl Mosley explained: “We didn’t manage to keep Morant out of the zone. He felt quite comfortable and got to all the spots he wanted to go to.” The guard was not alone on the court, Jaren Jackson Jr. delivered 21 points, Steven Adams had 12, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Four other Grizzlies also had double digits.
• For the home side, Cole Anthony tried to counter it with 17 of his 22 points in the first half, but defensively the answers were lacking. Memphis hit over 50 percent from the field and won the duel in the zone 68-34. Franz Wagner showed a good game with 15 points (5/9 FG, 3/5 three) and 3 assists, rookie colleague Jalen Suggs scored 17 points. Moritz Wagner collected 9 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

Charlotte Hornets (28-26) – Miami Heat (34-20) 86:104 (BOXSCORE)

• Pure dominance in the third quarter was the key to victory for Miami. With a 35:8 section (!), the guests pulled away decisively to inflict the fourth bankruptcy in a row on the frustrated Hornets. The trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro was crucial.
• Charlotte went into the half-time break with a 51:46 lead, also because the Heat didn’t want to fall for a long time. After that, the Hornets offense went down the drain very quickly. Charlotte only hit 22 percent of the field against the strong heat defense, 8 turnovers in the third quarter alone also favored the debacle. For the Hornets, the 8 points in that segment was the fewest in a quarter since March 2016.
• On the other side, Bam Adebayo dominated the zone, scoring 10 of his 20 points (plus 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks) in the third round. Butler led his team with 27 points with superior efficiency (10/13 FG, 7/7 FT), the star duo were allowed to rest throughout the final period as the game was over. Herro threw in 19 points and 5/8 threes from the bench.
• Terry Rozier (16), Miles Bridges (15) and LaMelo Ball (12, 3 assists) were the hosts’ most diligent points collectors without impressing themselves. However, frustration spread on the bench, James Bouknight appeared to be bothered by a comment from head coach James Borrego. A teammate tugged at his jersey to restrain him, an assistant coach quickly intervened and ushered the rookie, who only lasted 14 seconds on court, into the dressing room.

Washington Wizards (24-28) – Phoenix Suns (42-10) 80:95 (BOXSCORE)

• After losing to the Hawks, the West frontrunner took all his frustration out on the Wizards. Thanks to excellent defense and a strong two-way game by Deandre Ayton (20 points and 16 rebounds), Phoenix had no problems with the hosts. The Suns are back on track.
• By the end of the first quarter, Phoenix had a double-digit lead before they finally nailed their own basket. The second round went 26:11 to the Suns, who pulled away to 28 and in the third quarter to 36 points. “We were fully focused, especially in the second quarter,” said Ayton. “We counted our stops, it was fun out there.”
• Except maybe the Wizards. They set season lows in points scored in a quarter (11), half (33 in the first half) and in a game. For Phoenix’ Defense, these were best points of the season in each case. Chris Paul (14 and 9 assists) or Devin Booker (11 and 5 assists, 5/14 FG) were even able to hold back a bit offensively. Nevertheless, the blowout victory was never in jeopardy.
• In the Wizards, only two players actually cracked a double-digit score. Montrezl Harrell, coming off the bench, became the team’s top scorer (15 and 7 boards), otherwise only Aaron Holiday scored 11 points. Washington hit just 35.3 percent from the field and has now lost seven of eight games despite the brief high against Philly.