LOS ANGELES – Dennis Schroder grabbed a steal and drove for the go-ahead basket with 7.6 seconds left on Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers edged Memphis, 122-121, to end the Grizzlies’ 11-game NBA winning streak.
Russell Westbrook led Los Angeles with 29 points off the bench and superstar LeBron James added 23 for a Lakers team that has struggled to find consistency amid injuries – including the foot trouble sidelining Anthony Davis.
But it was German guard Schroder who starred late, serenely draining a pair of free throws to pull the Lakers within one – at 120-119 – with 13.2 seconds left.
On Memphis’ ensuing possession he poked the ball away from Desmond Bane and raced up the court with it for a layup. Fouled on the play, he made the free throw to put the Lakers up 122-120.
“I just made a play,” Schroder told broadcaster ESPN. “I just went to go get it, stabbed at it, the ball went loose and I just attacked the basket.”
The Grizzlies slipped a game and a half behind Western Conference leaders Denver, which beat Indiana, 134-111, for its ninth straight victory.
Meanwhile, Jordan Poole and Golden State put on a shooting clinic in Cleveland, the Warriors draining 23 three-pointers in a 120-114 victory with Stephen Curry and three other starters on the bench.