EL SEGUNDO >> They were a step quicker, faster to loose balls near the rim and on the floor. They were far more confident in their game plan and a great deal more efficient with the ball in their hands. Their energy was higher and more difficult to match than during any of their recent games.
When their night’s work was done Saturday and they had taken a double-digit victory from the Memphis Grizzlies that gave them a 2-1 series lead in their first-round playoff series, the Lakers gave credit where credit was due for a comprehensive, wire-to-wire win. They gave thanks and praise to their fans.
Crypto.com Arena crackled with an energy that uplifted the Lakers and depressed the Grizzlies. A sellout crowd of 18,997, the first for a playoff game in a decade because of the pandemic and plain old lousy play from the Lakers, arrived ready to cheer and boo at the appropriate times.
It was readily apparent from the start, that this was no ordinary game for the fans, who turned a Saturday in downtown Los Angeles into an evening that harkened back to a bygone era, one fueled by their energy. The Lakers responded accordingly, racing to a 35-9 lead by the end of the first quarter.
It was the first time Anthony Davis and LeBron James had played in front of a full house at Crypto for a Lakers playoff game. They both enjoyed it after playing in front of a limited capacity of roughly 8,000 during the 2021 playoffs and in front of a handful of family members during their bubble championship in ‘20.
“Yeah, it was all energy,” Davis said after scoring 31 points and taking 17 rebounds in his best game of the series. “We came out with a sense of urgency, obviously knowing it’s a big game for us and we came out pretty flat in Game 2. And the crowd, first time playing in Crypto in front of these Laker fans in a playoff game. It’s been a while. We fed off their energy. They were great tonight. But we just came out with a purpose on both ends of the floor to be excellent. And that kind of carried them through the game.”
James called it “amazing.”
“You could tell they’ve been looking forward to this and we have, as well,” said James, who had 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists. “The energy they gave us, we just tried to reciprocate that by playing the game at a high level and get a win for them, and we were able to do that for our home fans tonight.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham was an assistant coach on Mike D’Antoni’s staff the last time there was a capacity crowd for a playoff game at what was then known as Staples Center. The San Antonio Spurs swept the Lakers, who were without Kobe Bryant because of an Achilles tendon tear, in the first round in 2013.
“It’s almost like an era died,” Ham said at the time.
Ten years later, Ham and the fans were back.
“Wow, time flies, man,” Ham said late Saturday night. “I thought our crowd was phenomenal. We felt them in the building, thank God. Thank God that we gave them something to cheer about. The way we came out, our guys were aggressive, getting stops, everyone from the on-ball defense to everybody with the shifts and activity off the ball, guys getting rebounds and pushing it, getting out and running. It was great. But the energy in the building was phenomenal, unbelievable and we look forward to having the same thing Monday.”
Game 4 of the series is tonight at Crypto.com Arena.
Another sellout crowd is expected.
Brooks update
The NBA reviews all flagrant fouls, including the one the Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks received for slugging James below the belt in the opening seconds of the second half of Game 3 on Saturday. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported that Brooks would not be suspended for Game 4.
Brooks was ejected from Game 3 for punching James after scoring seven points on 3-for-13 shooting. He had referred to James as old after Game 2 and suggested he didn’t respect anyone who hadn’t scored 40 points or more against him. James countered by saying he didn’t have time for Brooks’ nonsense.
“The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain, that just creates another persona on me,” Brooks told reporters after the Grizzlies practice on Sunday, citing his growing and well-deserved reputation as a player who goes right to the edge and sometimes beyond with his words and deeds.