MEMPHIS, Tenn. – – Ja Morant scored 20 points before leaving in the third quarter with a right hamstring injury and the Memphis Grizzlies used their 3-point shooting to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 131-114 on Wednesday night.

Rookie Jaylen Wells and Jaren Jackson Jr. also scored 20 points each for the Grizzlies. There was no immediate word on the extent of Morant’s injury.

LeBron James led the Lakers with 39 points, while Austin Reaves added 19 despite going 2 for 9 from 3-point range.

The Lakers played without starting center Anthony Davis, who was dealing with left heel soreness. Rui Hachimura was also out due to an illness, giving Tennessee rookie Dalton Knect his first NBA start.

Meanwhile, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins missed the game due to a death in the family. Assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo led the team.

Takeaways

Lakers: With Davis out, Los Angeles lacked 32.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game and a dominant force up the middle. James tried to make up the score, but got little help.

Grizzlies: Davis’ absence under center helped the Grizzlies maintain their 60-point average in the paint.

Key moment

Memphis held a 72-68 lead in the third quarter when reserve Jay Huff, a 7-foot-1 center, connected on three straight 3-pointers before capping the run with an offensive rebound that led to a reverse dunk. The rally pushed the Grizzlies’ advantage to 85-71.

Key stat

Neither team tries to make many three-pointers compared to the rest of the league, but Memphis shot 48% from beyond the arc midway through the fourth period. Meanwhile, the Lakers were stuck at 25%.

Next

The Lakers host Philadelphia on Friday while the Grizzlies host Washington.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba