Luka Doncic came close to a triple-double, finishing with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, as LeBron James added 26 points and 10 assists to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 120-114 comeback win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Jake LaRavia also scored 26 points, and DeAndre Ayton added 15 as the Lakers followed Friday’s 128-121 win over Memphis with another victory, earning consecutive wins for the first time since Dec. 14-18.
Even so, Los Angeles is just 3-4 since Dec. 20.
Jaylen Wells led Memphis with 23 points.
Cedric Coward had 16 points and eight rebounds in the first half but did not return after halftime because of an ankle injury.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 14 points, Jock Landale had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Santi Aldama added 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench for Memphis, which dropped its fourth straight game.
It is the Grizzlies’ longest losing streak since a five-game skid from Nov. 9-18.
Memphis led 85-74 with 2:58 remaining in the third quarter before Los Angeles mounted a rally. Doncic scored the next five Lakers points, cutting the deficit to 87-83 entering the fourth.
The Lakers used a 14-4 run to take a 112-103 lead with 2:08 remaining after a 3-pointer from Doncic, his second straight from long range.
Los Angeles sealed the win on an alley-oop dunk by Jarred Vanderbilt off a Doncic pass for a 114-106 lead with 1:24 left.
The Grizzlies led by as many as 16 points in the first half and took a 65-54 advantage into halftime, holding a 29-18 rebounding edge and a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint.
Coward excelled before exiting with 2:59 left in the half, while Doncic paced the Lakers with 19 points.
The victory echoed the Lakers’ Oct. 31 win at Memphis, when they erased a 15-point first-half deficit to secure a 117-112 decision.
