Carter Scores 19 For Grizzlies In 112-95 Victory Over Lakers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vince Carter scored a season-high 19 points and five of his teammates also reached double figures to help the Memphis Grizzlies cruise to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Carter made his first five shots — all 3-pointers during a 7:48 span — and finished 7 for 10 from the field in 20 minutes to help the Grizzlies win for the 13th time in 17 games.
The 18-year veteran and eight-time All-Star brought back memories of his "Vinsanity" days with the Toronto Raptors, hitting consecutive 3s just 28 seconds apart to give Memphis a 54-38 lead with 6:03 left in the first half.
P.J. Hairston scored 21 points, Mike Conley had 17 points and seven assists, and Zach Randolph added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis.
Kobe Bryant sat out because of a sore right shoulder as the Lakers lost their eighth straight and 22nd in 25 games. They got 22 points from rookie D'Angelo Russell in his fourth consecutive start and 26th this season at point guard.
The loss was the Lakers' NBA-worst 33rd by a double-digit margin. The closest team to them in that category is Philadelphia with 27.
Los Angeles has dropped 13 of its last 15 meetings with the Grizzlies and nine in a row since beating them 96-92 on Dec. 17, 2013.
Two nights earlier, the Grizzlies beat the Lakers 128-119 at home. In that one, Memphis set a season high for points and scored at least 30 in every quarter for just the third time in the franchise's 21-year history, which includes six seasons in Vancouver.
Randolph beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer that gave the Grizzlies a 32-25 lead, and they scored another 35 in the second quarter to extend the margin to 67-50. Carter was among four Memphis players in double digits by then.
Los Angeles got no closer than 17 points in the second half, as Carter and newly acquired Lance Stephenson led the Grizzlies on a 12-0 run that pushed their lead to 104-75 with 8:02 remaining.
The Lakers, who never led in either of the previous two meetings with the Grizzlies, led in this one for a brief moment — when Jordan Clarkson opened the scoring with a 5-foot floater.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: G Tony Allen missed his third straight game because of a sore left knee. ... The Grizzlies must go no worse than 16-9 the rest of the way to enable Dave Joerger to join Rick Carlisle as the only active head coaches to win at least 50 games in each of their first three NBA seasons. Joerger inherited a team from Lionel Hollins that went a franchise-best 56-26 in 2012-13. . F Matt Barnes, who scored a season-high 25 points against the Lakers on Wednesday, played 29 scoreless minutes in the rematch. ... Memphis improved to 25-1 when Barnes finishes with a positive plus-minus figure. He was plus-22 in this one. . The Grizzlies are 4-1 since leading scorer Marc Gasol's season ended because of a broken right foot that required surgery. . Randolph's 16,397 career points are the second-highest total among active left-handed shooters behind Chris Bosh, and eighth-most all-time.
Lakers: The remaining road cities on Bryant's farewell tour are Denver, Phoenix, Utah, New Orleans, Houston and Oklahoma City. Coach Byron Scott said he is more likely to rest Bryant at home than on the road. "I think it all depends on how he feels," Scott said. "I know his obligation to the fans here at home, and also to the fans on the road that are going to see him for the last time. We still have a bunch of home games left, so I do kind of look at it where he might take a couple of those games off. But when we hit the road and go to Denver, Utah and Phoenix for the last time, I'm pretty sure in his mind that those are three games that he does not want to miss."
UP NEXT
The Grizzlies play at Phoenix on Saturday night.
The Lakers host Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
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