Rui Hachimura helped the Los Angeles Lakers steal Game 1 on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Hachimura, who was acquired from Washington before the February trade deadline, scored a playoff career-high 29 points in the Lakers’ 128-112 victory over Memphis on Sunday.
Leading 113-112 with 3:11 remaining, the Lakers went on a 15-0 run to finish the game.
Hachimura had 12 points in the third quarter – 4-for-4 on 3-pointers – and had nine points in the fourth.
The Lakers had balanced scoring with four other players in doubles figures:
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Anthony Davis had 22 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks and three assists.
LeBron James had 21 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals.
Austin Reaves, playing in his first playoff game, scored 23 points.
D’Angelo Russell added 19 points and seven assists.
It was the first time the Lakers had four players score at least 20 points in a playoff game since 1988 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott and James Worthy did it.
The Lakers shot 53.3% from the field and 43.2% on 3-pointers.
The Grizzlies didn’t play poorly offensively. Jaren Jackson had a great game with 31 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Desmond Bane scored 22 points, and Ja Morant, who exited the game with a right hand injury in the fourth quarter, had 18 points and six rebounds.
Defensively, it was a different story. In a 2-7 matchup that feels more like a 2-3 series, Los Angeles scored 69 points in the second half and put Memphis in a quick hole. The Grizzlies had the best home record in the NBA at 35-6 and promptly dropped Game 1.
Game 2 is Wednesday (7:30 p.m., TNT).
