MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Desmond Bane had 33 points and 10 rebounds, Ja Morant added 31 points and 10 boards, and the Memphis Grizzlies staved off elimination Wednesday night, April 26, beating the Lakers 116–99 to force their first-round Western Conference series back to Los Angeles.
Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who improved to 5–0 in Game 5s played in Memphis and cut the seventh-seeded Lakers’ series lead to 3–2. Memphis earned a second straight No. 2 seed by posting the NBA’s best home record at 35–6.
