Lakers fend off furious Grizzlies rally
When the Lakers signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, he instantly became something he had never really been before.
They brought him in to be a veteran presence on a team full of kids.
Only Caldwell-Pope is only 24 years old himself. And he usually doesn’t feel that much older than his 20-year-old teammates.
“Sometimes it shows,” Caldwell-Pope said, smiling at the thought.
There are moments in games when the chasm between their experience levels shows, too.
It happened Sunday night at Staples Center in the closing minute of the Lakers’ 107-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Where the Lakers’ 20-year-old brigade had the kinds of lulls young players will have — a late turnover by Lonzo Ball, a botched inbounds play by Kyle Kuzma, a two-point second half by Brandon Ingram — Caldwell-Pope stepped in.
The Lakers led by just three points, after having led by 22 earlier, and the Grizzlies had the ball.
Caldwell-Pope stripped James Ennis then scored off a screen from Brook Lopez with 19.1 seconds left in the game.
It gave the Lakers a five-point cushion, enough to hold off the surging Grizzlies.
“That’s the difference between being in this league for a while [and being inexperienced,]” Lakers coach Luke Walton said. “You know when he was in Detroit, a lot of their close games he’s the one they ran plays for. So he’s taking big shots, he’s hitting bit shots.
“He hit the big one in Portland that tied the game. … I think we had three guys on the court at the end that are all 20 years old. Then we had Brook and KCP that made some big shots for us.”
With the win, the Lakers evened their record at 5-5. The Grizzlies, who beat the Clippers on Saturday afternoon, fell to 6-4.
Ingram finished with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma scored 13 with 12 rebounds for his third career double-double in just 10 games played.
Lopez finished with 21 points and Caldwell-Pope, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson also reached double figures.
Ball finished with nine points, nine assists and five rebounds.
“I feel like the pace was great for three quarters and in the fourth quarter we kind of got conservative,” Ball said. “Trying to keep the lead, playing too safe. Just gotta find our balance.
“It’s always nice going into the fourth quarter with a big lead.”
The Lakers led for most of the game, but pulled away in the third. One third-quarter stretch saw Kuzma, and Caldwell-Pope again make consecutive threes, which gave the Lakers a 22-point lead.
It would be their biggest lead of the game.
The Grizzlies chipped away at it through the fourth quarter. With 1:04 left in the game, Mike Conley hit a three-pointer that pulled Memphis within five.
Free throws following a flagrant-1 foul called on Lopez brought the Grizzlies within three. It was as close as they’d get.
The game ended with Conley grimacing as he failed to get one final three-pointer off before the buzzer.
For the Lakers it was a lesson in just what they are gaining from the veterans they play.
Lopez had his third straight game with more than 20 points, and made four three-pointers after making six on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets.
He also set the screen that gave Caldwell-Pope an open look for his shot near the end of the game.
Meanwhile, for Caldwell-Pope, it was a reminder of why the Lakers jumped at the chance to bring him in this summer.
“When I first came here and they told me they wanted me to be a leader, [I thought] I’m damn near the youngest one on the team pretty much,” Caldwell-Pope said. “I took the challenge. Improving my game, making me not be as shy as much. I have to talk to the guys. I just found different ways to do that.”
Twitter: @taniaganguli
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
