MEMPHIS —
Maybe the Grizzlies haven’t learned?
Despite being ravaged by injuries and suspensions, their season largely a throwaway, Wednesday’s game with the Lakers was their first time this year to host the team that ousted them last spring.
But, somehow, Rui Hachimura was still open.
After Hachimura set the tone in the playoff opener a year ago by drilling five three-point shots, he found himself, again, open in Memphis, two feet behind the line just off of Beale.
With the Lakers forced to play without Anthony Davis because of a hyper-extended knee he suffered his 52-minute masterpiece Tuesday in Milwaukee, Hachimura’s shooting and commitment on the glass helped the Lakers hold off the Grizzlies in a 136-124 win – the Lakers fifth straight.